The Boy with Haki
by donalgraeme
Summary: What if Luffy discovered his Haki at a young age? Like, when Shanks was around. Watch as a stronger, smarter Luffy emerges to take the Grand Line by storm with the power of the King's Disposition. Warning, some content could be considered spoilers. LuNa
1. Chapter 1

**Through the near fanatical hours of watching One Piece, I have come from mid-Arabasta, where I was when I wrote A Dream come True, all the way to the recent arc. Naturally, I was fascinated by the Kuja Tribe and their Haki, and the discovery that Luffy's own Haki is special. That got me thinking: Luffy's already crazy strong. Imagine if he managed to master his Haki early on? Normal Haki made arrows freaking tank shells. Pistol with Haoushoku Haki behind it? It blew my mind. Here's the offspring of this idea. Enjoy!**

* * *

Fuusha Village was a quiet little town, just another island in East Blue, the 'weakest' of the five seas. In Fuusha, life was simple, quiet, and laid back. People went about their jobs during the day, and still had time to say hey to their neighbors and enjoy a pint or two at the bar. All in all, safe but boring. Unless, of course, the Red-Haired Pirates were in town.

"Sake! Meat! Music! This is Heaven!" Lucky Roo was certainly happy, as he guzzled alcohol by the barrel and ate meat by the carcass. Beside him, Benn Beckman merely shook his head good-naturedly and sipped at his sake while he cleaned his gun. Yasopp was nearby, once again telling everyone a story about his son that everyone had already heard but were too kind to tell him so. Or rather, Yasopp was too stubborn to listen to the protests. And by the bar, Shanks himself sat, laughing boisterously at some remark made by the young, tan boy in a t-shirt and shorts that sat next to him.

"WAHAHAHAHA! You? You can't be a pirate, Luffy! You're too scrawny. Just the fact that you can swim won't help you on my crew. Just get your head out of the clouds and work on growing bigger!" Shanks was somewhere in his mid-thirties, with a hair a shocking shade of red. He had a bit of stubble on his chin, and wore a puffy white shirt, black pants, and a cloak. His sword hung belted to his hip. His face was a tapestry of laughter lines, and three scars ran over his left eye.

He didn't act like one of the Yonkou, the four most powerful pirates in the world. He didn't act like a former member of the Roger Pirates, crewed by the Pirate King Gol D. Roger himself. He certainly didn't act like a man the Marines would send all three Admirals against if they thought they would take him down. He acted like a man who loved to party, and was perfectly fine with the idea with making friends with children.

Therefore, he was perfectly within his rights to tease his newest friend. Who, as you might imagine, did not react very well. "Urusai! I'm not puny! Plus, I've got a punch as strong as a pistol!" So saying, the young boy by the name of Monkey D. Luffy cocked his fist as if it were an actual gun. The boy didn't look like his father was the most wanted man in the world. He didn't look like his grandfather had personally captured Gol D. Roger. He looked like a boy who wanted to impress his idol and was too stubborn to let what he wanted go.

It looked outrageously funny on his seven-year old face, but Shanks couldn't deny the determination written across Luffy's face. The boy sincerely wanted to be a pirate, despite the fact that he was still just a pipsqueak. However, Shanks couldn't just bring his young friend on his adventures like that. The Grand Line wasn't called the Pirate Graveyard for nothing, and the New World was in a whole other league. So, he offered a challenge that would both resolve the issue and do it in such a way that Luffy couldn't complain.

"Haha! You've got a pistol punch, eh! Well, let's test that claim, shall we?" Shanks tapped the counter of the bar. "Put a dent in this bar with a punch, and I'll give you my word that I'll take you on a voyage someday! If you can't, you'll just have to stay here on land!" Shanks smiled with lofty confidence, certain that all his young friend's boasts were hot air. The boy had to learn that you couldn't just say things and expect them to happen.

Luffy flushed, and then yelled "It's a deal!" Everyone paused in their frivolities to watch. They weren't expecting anything, but the look on Luffy's face promised to be priceless. Plus, Yasopp's stories were just that annoying. Luffy closed his eyes and furrowed his brow in concentration. He clenched his fist tight, and seemed to be focusing all his energy into his arm. It was an oddly serious look on such a young face.

After several seconds of suspenseful silence, Luffy opened his eyes, gave a war cry, and punched _through_ the bar, leaving a pile of rubble of what was once firmly-set wood. The sound was explosive in the silence of the bar, and everyone widened their eyes in surprise as they watched a kid, a tiny boy, demolish a good section of the counter with a single punch. Shanks' eyes were the widest, as he'd noticed something no one else had. _'That force… just before he punched… was that Haki?'_

Luffy surveyed the damage, gave a triumphant nod, and yelled at Shanks "Hah! I win. Now you've got to take me on a voyage!" Laughter filled with childish exultation filled the bar, while every adult in the place just stared in shock. A boy. A mound of broken wood. A few splinters in the boy's hand. The image simply did not go together. They had sailed the New World. They'd seen sights that would make nightmares have nightmares and make old professors shake their heads in bafflement. And the sight of Luffy's explosive punch _still_ short-circuited the crew's brains as if they'd seen a gorilla dance ballet. Eventually, Luffy took notice of the silence, looked at everyone with their jaws at level with their knees, and asked "What?"

Shanks was the first to recover. He wasn't one of the most feared men on the planet for nothing. "What? What, you ask? Luffy, you just shattered the bar with a punch! What the heck did you do? No child could do that!" At the sound of their captain's voice, the rest of the crew jerked, before going into whispered mutters about the spectacle they had just seen. Luffy self-consciously rubbed the back of his head, while giving a nervous grin. "Do you really want to know?" Luffy asked, curious as to why his idol thought what he'd just done was so special. He said his punch was as strong as a pistol, hadn't he?

Shanks gave a nod of his head, burning with curiosity, and Luffy took a breath before starting with his story.

* * *

(Flashback)

Luffy was alone in the jungle. As far as scary situations went, it was a biggie. Just a young boy, he'd been left stranded alone with no food, no water, a tiny knife, and the instruction from his quasi-sadistic grandpa to "Survive, brat!" Luffy was just a little kid. Like any other kid, he was afraid of some basic things, like the dark, or animals, or the prospect of no meals to fill his stomach. And his grandpa had left him out, quite literally, for the wolves.

"Crazy Gramps," Luffy muttered, trying to distract himself with the sound of his own voice. "He leaves me in the craziest places, makes me do the craziest things, and for what? So I can 'be a good Marine'? I don't want to be a marine! I want to be a Pirate, dang it! Not just a pirate, but the Pirate King. I want to find One Piece! And he just laughs in my face and tells me to 'shut up, and go survive already'. Uh!" Luffy wasn't a crybaby, but he sure as hell felt scared. He hated it when his grandpa dumped him in the middle of nowhere, because it meant he had to find his own food, his own water, and contend with the predators of the region. He was just a kid, damn it!

'_Still,'_ a small voice in Luffy's head said: his neglected sense of good reason. _'What Grandpa does to you _does_ make you stronger. You're not even ten, but you already know how to fight animals, build a shelter, and find clean water. Some adults can't do that.'_ "Oh, shut up." Luffy said to himself, unwilling to admit that what gramps put him through actually helped him in some way. Such thoughts were quickly forgotten, however, when a loud growl washed over Luffy. He froze, felt his heart go double time, and turned to face a gigantic, hungry-looking wolf with sickly-colored fur and teeth.

There wasn't any flashes of his short life, no broken record recording in his thoughts. Luffy didn't even have to think. His body did it for him. He _ran_. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, and then ran faster. He ducked, swerved, turned, and officially did everything humanly possible to try and outrun or outsmart the wolf that had given chase. It wasn't enough.

Luffy felt a sharp impact between his shoulder blades, and suddenly he was face down in the mud as something truly massive with bad breath held him down, a crushing weight on his small back. At that moment, something broke inside Luffy. The dam built from adrenaline and physical effort that had prevented panic cracked, and suddenly Luffy was filled with mind-numbing fear. True terror seared his veins as a deep-seated, primal fear, the fear of being _eaten_ rose up in Luffy like a riptide and dragged him away from the calm shores of Sanity into the turbulent waters of Hysteria. To hell with the Will of D. He was a kid, and he didn't want to die.

Luffy felt teeth circle his throat, and could practically feel the shifts in muscle in the giant body above him that indicated the quick jerk of the head that would break his neck like a twig. All of Luffy's fear and pain and weariness coalesced into a single point as he screamed out in a voice he only barely recognized as his own "STOP!!!!!!!!!" As he did, a wave of unseen force exploded out of Luffy, tearing the leaves from branches twenty feet away. The wolf tensed, before collapsing into a heap, its eyes rolled back into its head.

Luffy blinked, and then sat up. He was alive, and the wolf had collapsed. What had happened?

* * *

(End Flashback)

"Anyways, after that I started to try and do whatever I did again, but it was kind of hard since I had no idea what happened." Luffy explained to Shanks as the entire crew listened in, giving Luffy their undivided attention. "I got into a few scrapes with deer, and even ran into a little bear cub. He was fun… until his mom showed up. That was when I did it again. Just when she caught up with me, I yelled at her and felt… something. She passed out."

Luffy grinned, and proudly held his fist up again, the splinters removed by Makino while the young boy continued explaining his discovery. "Anyways, after gramps decided to come get me, I started practicing. Whenever I really, really, _really_ wanted something, I felt like there was some kind of force inside me, just waiting to get out. It doesn't always work, but I've managed to knock out birds and I just learned yesterday how to put it in my punches. That's why my punch is as strong as a pistol!" Luffy grinned and gave his fist a jab forward, happy that everyone liked his new toy.

Shanks was amazed. _'Did this kid seriously discover his Haki at such a young age?'_ Shanks decided to see if what Luffy said was true. "Luffy," Shanks said, getting the boy's attention instantly. "I want you to try and knock out one of my crewmembers, just so I can see what you're talking about. Any volunteers?" Without even looking, Shanks knew that everyone in the bar moved a few inches away from one unlucky bloke, who noticed and bravely stood up to face the challenge.

Luffy looked uncertain when he saw how big the man was, but put on his game face and closed his eyes. He focused really hard on one spot in the middle of his forehead. He imagined all his admiration for the crew, all his love for Shanks, and all his ambition to become a pirate coming together in that one spot. He felt an odd kind of pressure, but continued to focus until it felt like his gramps was shoving a finger against his forehead. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and yelled at the man who'd 'volunteered', letting all his gathered emotions and will come flying out in a burst, directed by his voice in a vague direction.

A shimmer went through the air between Luffy and the member of Shanks' crew. Shanks caught a whiff of the energy, and he choked on the sake in his mouth. _'This Haki! It feels different from mine!'_ There was no way to describe the feel of Luffy's willpower, other than the fact that it felt… regal, commanding. It was also a hell of a lot more powerful than a burst of the same size would have been from Shanks. Hell, maybe twice the size.

The unlucky crewmate, and about four or five people behind him, fainted on the spot. Luffy was panting as if he'd just run the mile, but he had a grin on his face. He turned to face Shanks and said "See? I'm strong! I'd be a big help on your voyage!" Shanks stared from Luffy, to the half-dozen unconscious members of his crew. _'Those blokes could hang around me in battle without breaking a sweat. Luffy… what kind of power do you have. Could you possibly… have that special Haki I heard about? The Haoushoku?'_

If Shanks had been hoping for answers, fate had a twisted way of going about it. The swinging door to the bar blew out with a sudden impact. A scruffy, tall man with dark skin, stained clothes and black hair held partially in a tail walked through the door, making no effort to hide the blade at his side. Filing in behind him were a bunch of men with a get-up that could only be a uniform, including the sneers plastered on their faces.

The man walked up to the bar and said to the now-quiet room "So you bunch are the pirates I heard about. God, you guys look pathetic. Do you guys actually fight the Marines, or do they just let you go out of pity?" Shanks and his crew, if it hadn't become apparent, had gone up against guys that would make this guy go crying home to mommy while he pissed his pants. They didn't even waste the effort needed to give a response. Luffy, however, felt his anger mounting. Why wasn't Shanks doing something? He was the tough guy! He should be defending his honor!

The dark-skinned man turned to Makino and said "We're mountain bandits. Don't worry; we're not here to trash your bar. Just give us ten barrels of sake and we'll be on our way." However, this proved to be impossible, since the bar's entire stock had been consumed by Shanks and his crew already. As Makino gave her explanation, Shanks held up a bottle and said "Right here, chap. We haven't opened this one. It's a pretty good year." The man replied with a small display of swordsmanship that would seem impressive to beginners, but was just sad compared to true masters. The bottle shattered.

"I'm a man with an 8,000,000 Beli bounty on my head. I need far more than one measly bottle of sake!" Shanks was unimpressed. "Now look what you've done. You've got the floor all wet." Shanks bent down to mop up what was really very good alcohol, when another blow from the mountain-man came. It was a feather-tap to Shanks, but he played along, lying quietly as if defeated. The man huffed and puffed his own ego, before leaving the bar in what was supposed to be a dramatic fashion. Not ten seconds after he left, the entire crew burst out laughing.

Luffy was still a child, and a child in the East Blue at that. His simple view of the world simply could not grasp how far Shanks was out of that mountain-man's league. As such, he believed that his idol was being far too casual. QED, "What the heck was that? Have you no pride? You should have pounded those guys to a pulp!" The laughter tapered off at this display of emotion. What was humorous to the Red-Haired crew was blasphemous to Luffy.

Shanks sat up, looking over at Luffy. "It's not like I don't get what you're saying, but they just spilled some sake. They're not worth it." With the pout only a child could produce, Luffy turned his back on Shanks, and conveniently noticed the small chest in which Shanks held the prize of his recent voyage: the Gomu Gomu no Mi, one of the most powerful Paramecia Devil's Fruits there were. To Luffy, however, it was just food, and he was hungry.

Shanks gave Luffy a moment to cool off, and regretted it the instant he turned to see how Luffy was faring and saw the fruit disappearing down his gullet. His reaction was swift, a reflex. "Luffy! Spit that out!" Shanks grabbed Luffy by the ankles and started to shake the boy like a rag doll. However, he was too late. On a downward jerk, Luffy's neck extended until his face hit the floor. As the boy dealt with this new shock, Shanks cried out in frustration. "Luffy, do you know what that fruit was? It was the Gomu Gomu no Mi! You're a rubberman, and you'll never be able to swim again!" Shanks closed his eyes. His friend's life had just gotten very complicated.

* * *

It was two days later, and the Red-Haired Pirates were preparing to leave for good. The day before, Luffy had challenged the bandits in a fight for Shanks' honor. He'd been brutally beaten, until Shanks showed up with his crew. The leader had fled to sea and dumped Luffy in the ocean, only to be devoured by the local Sea King in an instant. Shanks had arrived in time to save Luffy from the same fate, but it had cost him his left arm. He was glad for so low a price.

Luffy and Shanks were having a last farewell. Or rather, Shanks was provoking Luffy until he exploded. "Shut up! I don't want to go with your crew, even though I won the bet!" Luffy cried, yelling his true feelings for the world to hear. "I'll start my own crew that will be even stronger than yours, travel the world, and find One Piece. I'M GOING TO BE THE PIRATE KING!" The words seemed to echo faintly, as if they carried the will of fate.

Shanks grinned, and said "Is that so?" With that, he plucked his favorite straw hat off his head and gave it to Luffy. He leaned forward and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Listen, Luffy. You have a special power, and not just your Devil's Fruit either. You have the King's Disposition. Be careful with it. You have no idea how dangerous it can be." Shanks pulled back, and said in a distinctly softer and brighter tone "That's my favorite straw hat. Keep it safe for me, please. You can return it to me… as a great pirate."

Shanks turned to board his ship, as unashamed tears fell from Luffy's eyes. As Shanks waved the island goodbye and set out to the seas he loved, he thought to himself _'Grow strong, Luffy. With a Devil's Fruit and the King's Disposition… you could become the Pirate King."_

* * *

(Ten Years Later)

A high-class passenger vessel was making its way along its course. Marines guarded the deck, the captain mingled in the truly fantastic ballroom built into the ship, and the upper crust of the East Blue laughed, danced, and ate tiny tidbits. It was a calm day, with barely a cloud in the sky, and the tides docile for a change. It was a perfect day for napping and having fun.

Two Marines were hanging by the guardrail, chatting away when they noticed a barrel floating in the ocean. That caught their attention. "Oi! There's a wine barrel in the water!" one of them said. "It's probably wreckage from whatever poor soul went through that whirlpool. Aw, well. Won't do him any good now. Let's haul it up!" the other one said. So saying, the two casts out a line and with a bit of effort hauled the barrel up to the deck.

"Ooh, it's pretty heavy. There must be a lot!" The two were grinning at their good fortune to be able to wet their throats. Their smiles withered and died the instant the call came from the crow's nest and the sound of cannon fire came from across the water. "Pirates! I see pirates! It's the Alvida Pirates!" Every marine on the deck instantly broke out into action, their training taking over as Alvida's bombardment continued. The barrel was knocked askew in the confusion and rolled away towards the lower decks. It was barely noticed by the marines, whose efforts were for naught. They'd been ambushed, and the pirate ship pulled up alongside them in a matter of seconds.

On the deck of the pirate ship, a truly hideous woman stood at the forefront. She was the size of small whales, had freckles in all the wrong places, with flat, black hair covered by a cowboy hat and beady eyes. She held an iron mace almost as big as her as a staff, with her crew arrayed around her. This was 'Iron Club' Alvida, the woman worth 5,000,000 Beli. "Men, who's the fairest on all the seas?" Alvida asked. Her crew let out a full, if insincere, yell of "ALVIDA-SAMA!"

The woman grinned, revealing slightly yellow teeth, before yelling "CHARGE!" In a flurry of motion, the crew leaped over onto the other vessel to raid, pillage, plunder, and otherwise pilfer their weasly black guts out (mini-disclaimer: don't own POTC). Alvida stayed behind and surveyed the damage, before noticing a quivering little boy still on the ship. He had glasses and light pink hair. "Coby!" she yelled, instantly getting a frightened reaction from the boy.

"Get over there now! Or face the club!" With a menacing snarl, Alvida prepared to swing Coby over to the other boat like he was a golf ball with her club. The boy broke out in frantic gibbers going far too fast to understand as human speech, and threw himself over to the other ship. He quickly made his way to the relative peace of the lower decks. "Whew! That was close! Now, I got to do something or Alvida will kill me!" Coby, rather meekly, started to look around for something he could actually lift and could count as swag.

"Hmm. This looks like a pantry." Coby surveyed the room, before noticing a large wine barrel lying on its side. "That looks interesting. Maybe Alvida will be okay with that." The boy set himself to the task of moving the barrel, but it proved futile as his weak limbs failed to move it an inch. "It won't move. Maybe I should just go away and find something else." Coby was just about to leave when three of the crew walked in.

"Eh, Coby? What are you doing here, and with that barrel?" Coby went into his panic-mode, but managed to stammer out "T-t-t-there w-w-was this b-b-barrel, s-s-so I-I thought that m-m-maybe I should b-b-bring it up!" The three men noticed the barrel, and what it contained, and got greedy little grins on their faces. Despite Coby's weak protests, the three set the barrel upright and prepared to open it and guzzle away.

Just as they were about to descend on the wine, the top blew outward as a young man with black hair, tan skin, a red vest, blue shorts, and a straw hat burst out of the barrel, his fist stretching out to hit the flunky nearest him, his eyes closed in pleasure. "WHAT A GREAT NAP!" the mystery man yelled, seemingly unaware hat he'd just knocked a pirate unconscious. Alvida's crew members couldn't have been more surprised if Alvida had shown up two hundred pounds lighter whilst performing the can-can.

The man opened his eyes, and then stared at the unconscious pirate at his feet confusedly. "What's this guy taking a nap for? He'll catch a cold." Laws of the universe bent, anatomical features shifted, and suddenly the two conscious pirates had pure white eyes, larger heads, and sharks-teeth. "IT'S YOUR FAULT, DUMBASS!" they yelled, their instincts to Public Displays of Idiocy kicking in.

The mystery man paid them no heed, climbing out of the barrel and turning to Coby. "I'm hungry. Do you know where there's food?" he asked, acting as if he had not burst out of a barrel and clobbered a pirate without conscious effort. The veins in the pirates' foreheads showed, and they drew their swords and charged. Coby squealed in fear and cowered, while the man slowly turned his head to face the onslaught. The swords were raised, battle-cries were yelled… and the top halves of both swords snapped off and flew towards the ceiling as the stranger gave a swipe of his hand.

The pirates' eyes widened in awe as the man before them snapped steel with a flick of the wrist. The man stared at them with slight annoyance. "What are you doing, playing with these things? They're sharp; someone could get hurt!" The men stood gaping for a second, before turning tail and running while dragging their unconscious nakama. The stranger scratched his head. "What was with them? Aw, well, it doesn't matter." The stranger turned to face Coby again. "So, can you show me where the food is now?"

Coby was wide-eyed as he looked up at the man. "Who are you?" he asked, wondering who on all the seas could be so strong as to break metal without effort. The man gave a wide grin and said "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Nice to meet you!" Luffy paused for a second, before opening the nearest door after smelling the air like a hound. "MUSHI!" he yelled in wild joy, before descending like a piranha among the crates of food in the tiny box of a room.

Coby went into the room and closed the door behind him. "I hope they don't find me in here," Coby muttered to himself, before turning to look at the most interesting thing he'd seen in his short life. A man that had appeared from nowhere, displayed incredible strength, hopping up and down like a kid on Christmas morning while he practically inhaled every scrap of food his hands came in contact with. Coby felt certain that the human stomach couldn't hold that much food, but he refrained from saying so. "Um, Luffy-san?" Coby tentatively asked, drawing Luffy's attention away from a crate of apples. "I don't mean to be rude, but where did you come from?"

Luffy grinned, displaying the numerous chunks of food caught in his teeth. "I was sailing near my village with my pet when that big whirlpool came by. It really took me by surprise! But, I managed to get in that barrel, and I decided to take a nap. When I woke up, I was here!" Coby's eyes widened as Luffy nonchalantly discussed surviving a whirlpool as if it were no big deal.

Coby chuckled nervously, before gathering his courage. "Luffy-san, you have to leave here! This ship is being raided by the fearsome Alvida-sama. Since you hit her guy, you'll get the iron mace! You really need to get out of here!" Luffy's eyebrows went up, pausing in his chewing. "A pirate ship? Does that mean you're a pirate?" Coby blanched, before frantically shaking his head. "No, no, not at all. Well, kinda, I guess. It's complicated. Two years ago, I went onto a boat with the intention to fish, only to discover it was a boat taking pirates back to their ship!" Here, Coby shivered in remembered fear. "They forced me to work for them, threatening me with the iron club. Still, I don't want to see Luffy-san hurt! I just met you, but I wouldn't wish the club on anyone! You've gotta escape!"

Luffy shrugged in a total lack of concern. "Even so, I'm still hungry. Besides, I can just beat up this Alvida person if she gets in the way." Coby's eyes reached dinner-plate size, before near-reflexive mutterings of 'impossible' came out of his mouth. Luffy knocked Coby on the head, knocking him out of it. "What's the big deal? I'm strong, and besides, I can't die here. I haven't become the Pirate King yet!"

Coby gaped in shock. "Pirate King? Then, Luffy-san is a pirate?" Luffy nodded, still chewing on the food. "Impossible! The Pirate King is a man with wealth, fame, and power; everything in this world united in one man! The last King, Gold Roger, was the only man to conquer the Grand Line! Impossible, impossible, impossible! Luffy-san will surely die if he tries to become the Pirate King!" Luffy stopped eating here, his eyes becoming shaded by his straw hat as he stood up.

"It's not about whether or not I can do it," Luffy said quietly, drawing Coby's attention. Luffy plucked the straw hat off his head, looking at it and reliving the memories that went with it. "I promised the man that gave me this hat that I would gather a crew and become a great pirate. It's my dream to be the Pirate King, and I'm committed to my dream. I don't care if I die pursuing it." Coby was shocked into silence by the raw determination behind the statement. Coby could see that Luffy truly would die chasing his dream.

Luffy grinned suddenly, breaking the somber mood, putting the hat back on his head. "Aw, well. Now I've gotta find a ship. Maybe the pirates will give me one! If they're good people." Luffy started for the door, brushing past Coby. Said boy was in the midst of an emotional crossroads. _'My life… or my dream. Can it be that simple?'_ Coby recalled the two years of work and fear, breeding in him the desire to just stand aside and let others have their way. That impulse was suddenly being chocked by Coby's childhood dream to be a Marine. Coby took the deepest breath of his life, before standing up.

"Luffy-san," Coby said, making Luffy pause. "We've only just meant, but you've inspired me." Coby looked up, and a new light was shining in his eyes. "You've given me courage! I'll run away from Alvida and become a Marine. It's my dream to catch bad guys!" Coby was on a roll now, making his way towards the door with Luffy. "I'll leave Alvida! No, I'll _catch_ Alvida! I'll," Whatever Coby was going to say next withered and died as the roof of the room exploded, leaving wood, metal, and a seriously pissed-off pirate mistress with a big-ass club to fall to the ground. Coby's heart practically gave out, while Luffy turned to watch this interesting development.

"Who're you going to catch? Eh, Coby!" Alvida's beady eyes turned up to glare at the pink-haired boy, who was suddenly a gibbering wreck. Alvida raised her gaze to look at Luffy. "So, you're the guy who knocked out my man. You're not that bounty hunter Roronoa. Who're you?" Luffy didn't as much as blink at the dramatic entrance. "A pirate," he said, internally wondering who the hell this person was. Alvida grunted, before returning her gaze to Coby. "Coby, who's the fairest on all the seas?" Coby jerked before stumbling through "T-t-t-that o-of c-c-c-course is A-a-alvida-s-s-s," before he was interrupted.

Luffy pointed at Alvida and asked Coby "Who's the hag?" Everyone in hearing distance froze, their eyes going wide and their jaws unhinging as they processed the suicidal comment. Alvida's forehead became a tapestry of tic-marks, before bellowing in rage "DIE!!!!" With a minor effort, the obese woman brought down the solid ton of steel down on the spot Luffy had occupied, key word being 'had'. Luffy, as nimble as his namesake, jumped out of the way, grabbed Coby, and hopped up onto the deck, all the while smiling like an idiot.

Coby screamed in unadulterated fear, before he was dropped onto a spot of deck a bit behind where Luffy landed. "Stay there or you'll get in the way." Luffy said, his smile softening the words a little, before turning to face the Alvida pirate crew, who were still in a semi-state of shock. "Who's first?" Luffy asked, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. The crew seemed to gird itself, before a few of them surged forward with a battle cry. Luffy grinned, before implanting his fist in the first one's skull, jumped to avoid the swipe from the second before giving a punishing headbutt, before finally giving a kick to the guy that crept up behind him. All three men went down without as much as a sound.

Luffy grinned and crossed his arms. "Is that all you got?" he asked, as if the whole affair were good fun. The entirety of the crew stared in awe and fear at the effortless defeat of their nakama, while one lone swordsman climbed the deck behind Luffy. With a cry, the man leapt and made to slash Luffy in half. Luffy turned to look at the assailant, before frowning. What happened next left the crew speechless with confusion. In the moments before the blade hit home, Luffy glared at his attacker. The next thing anyone knew, the man was unconscious on the ground in front of Luffy, his sword still in hand.

Luffy glared with disapproval at his would-be assassin. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that attacking from behind isn't fair?" The crew stared for a few more seconds, before adrenaline and mob psychology kicked in and they charged Luffy as a massive horde. Luffy proceeded to run across the deck with a comic expression of fear on his face. "It's unfair to attack with more people too!" The chase proceeded across the deck, somehow avoiding Coby, before Luffy's hand snagged on the mast. Instead of being jerked back, the arm _stretched_, allowing Luffy to keep on running away while the rampaging crew went into collective apoplexy at the sight.

Luffy turned to smirk at the crew. "Just kidding. Gomu Gomu no Rocket!" With that, the stretched limb recoiled, dragging Luffy bodily across the gap at the speed of a bullet. The crew was hit by the organic equivalent of a cannonball. Just as Alvida managed to reach the deck, her entire crew laid sprawled out across the deck. Coby stared in shock at Luffy. Luffy grinned and said "I'm strong, remember?"

Alvida narrowed her eyes. "So, you have the power of the Devil's Fruit. I thought it was just a legend." Luffy grinned, and pulled on his cheek, the skin and muscle stretching like taffy. "I'm a rubberman!" Luffy proclaimed proudly, before letting the cheek snap back, allowing him to give a sly smirk. "Not only that, but I've got a super-secret thing up my sleeve. There's no way you can beat me!" Alvida grimaced, before charging forward with her massive mace held above her head. "Don't take me so lightly!" she yelled in fury, bringing her mace down on Luffy's head.

Luffy stayed in his exact same position, before a smile spread across his face. Luffy glared up at Alvida, who was sufficiently freaked out that the man's skull hadn't cracked. "I'm rubber. That won't work on me!" Suddenly, out of nowhere, an unseen force seemed to ram into Alvida, knocking her back across the deck. Coby stared in disbelief, as he saw the most terrifying (and heaviest) person he'd ever known getting thrown ass-over-teakettle. Luffy merely grinned, before pulling back his fist, which then went back a few meters as it stretched.

Just as Alvida stood up, looking as if she'd just hopped off a rollercoaster, Luffy brought his fist forward in a truly terrific punch as he yelled "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" The fist impacted, and Alvida was blown away into the distance, until she was nothing more than a star on the horizon. Luffy turned to glare at the stragglers on Alvida's ship, who were by now ready to shit their pants. "Oi. Get a boat ready for Coby. He needs to join the Marines." The men on the ship started bustling like a nest of bees, preparing a small dingy for Coby's and Luffy's use.

Coby turned to stare at Luffy, his mind unable to comprehend what had just happened. Luffy just shrugged. "What? No enemy can stand up to a King." With that oddly philosophical remark, Luffy made to grab Coby and hop into the waiting boat. However, before that, the sound of cannons suddenly roared like thunder: the Marines had arrived. Luffy grinned at the new arrival, before turning to Coby. "Aren't you going to go over there? You want to be a Marine, right?" Coby's mind went back online at the idiotic remark. "I can't join them now! I'm coming from a pirate ship! They'd lock me up before I could ask!"

Luffy shrugged before grabbing Luffy and hopping into the boat. As they plummeted towards the waves, Luffy yelled out with a voice that rang with an undertone Coby had never heard and made his hair stand on end, as if a living force vibrated with the words. **"Thrasher, time to go!"** The words echoed across the seas, visibly vibrating the water's surface. As the boat landed on the water, Luffy caught a glimpse through the resulting spray of an orange-haired woman in a boat loaded with treasure. Before Luffy could puzzle the odd sight, his ride appeared.

Out of the water, rising like some biblical sea-snake, a respectably-size Sea King with green scales and blue fins appeared, giving heart attacks to Coby, the Alvida Pirates, and half the Marines. The Sea King turned to face Luffy, who just grinned. "There you are! Let's get out of here!" With that, the Sea King did the last thing anyone expected: it _nodded_, before grabbing previously unseen ropes around its neck like reigns with its teeth and throwing them to Luffy, who expertly caught them and tied them to the boat. With that, like some twisted version of Poseidon's chariot, the Sea King took off, dragging Luffy and the terrified Coby away faster than you could say "What the heck".

When the warships were out of sight, the Sea King slowed down to the equivalent of a brisk walk instead of a sprint. Luffy was laughing his head off, while Coby was practically in a coma. Luffy turned to face the giant serpent. "Thrasher, where were you? I had to fight a whole pirate crew and their captain because you decided to try and beat that whirlpool!" The Sea King, apparently named Thrasher, turned its head just enough so Luffy could see it roll its eye. That set off a fresh batch of laughter.

When Coby was once again lucid, he turned to face Luffy and asked incredulously "You have a pet Sea King?" Luffy nodded with that giant grin on his face again. "Yep, I've trained him since I was twelve! It was tough to get him to listen, but he reacts really well to my Haki, so now we're nakama! He's my most favorite pet!" Thrasher chose that moment to splash a large quantity of water in Luffy's face with his tail, in a gesture that was supposed to be affectionate.

Coby took a deep breath, before just writing it off as just another rule of nature Luffy had decided to break. Coby then asked in confusion "What's Haki?" Luffy grinned, and that was all the warning Coby got. Suddenly, it was like an earthquake was happening inside his brain, rendering everything he saw into jumbled quadruples and throwing his thoughts every which way across his cranium. When Coby woke up, there was dried foam on his lips and the sun was in a different position in the sky.

Luffy was in the same position as before. He started explaining while Coby sorting everything out. "I don't know exactly what Haki is. I just know that really strong-willed people, when their ambition is strong enough, develop a special kind of power. That's called Haki. I have a very special kind of Haki, called the King's Disposition, or Haoushoku Haki. It's much more powerful, and can do a lot more things than normal Haki. I've been working on it for ten years, experimenting and mastering it. I can do everything from knock people out, to make my fists strong enough to tear through steel, to make animals understand me. I can even make some things move at a distance. Let me tell you, it's really changed what kind of person I am!"

Luffy grinned before continuing. "I'll be honest. I'm fun-loving and gullible. I eat like a family of hungry pigs and come back for seconds. I'm clueless about lots of stuff, and not all that smart. I'd charge through the fires of Hell and back without a second thought if it meant helping one of my nakama. But one thing I'm not is reckless." Here, Luffy's face became as serious as Coby had ever seen it. "If I just had the Gomu Gomu no Mi, all I could do was break stuff. With Haki, it's a whole different story. With Haki, I can turn proud men into quivering puddles at my feet, make buildings crumble without touching them. I can't afford to just go rushing in, guns blazing, or else I won't just leave beat-up bad guys. I'll leave bodies, rubble, and men with broken spirits. This power is more a curse than a blessing."

Coby gave a shiver as the implications of what Luffy said sank in. What it must be like, to live with the knowledge that if you lost your self-control, even for a second, you could shatter and destroy everything around you without trying, without _moving_. Coby sensed that whatever Luffy had done to him had been akin to a poke on the forehead, and he was still trying to catch his breath. If Luffy went all-out, started going on a rampage… there wouldn't be a battle, there'd be a _war zone_.

Luffy gave a sudden laugh, and the tension abruptly evaporated, leaving Coby feeling happy and safe once again. "Anyways, I'll just have to be careful on my adventures. What good's a King if he doesn't leave anything to rule over? I'll just focus on the big fish." Luffy sighed, before staring off into the sea, as if imagining the day he would command them. "Hey," Luffy asked Coby. "Who was that Roronoa guy Alvida was talking about?"

Coby blinked, before going pale as a sheet. "Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter. They say that he's like a demon in a human's flesh. He goes around thirsting for blood, living only for the bounty. He is the terror of the East Blue's pirates. I hear that the Marines locked him up somewhere." Coby chuckled, before wondering aloud "Why do you ask?" Luffy grinned in such a way that Coby suddenly felt afraid of the answer. "I thought I might make him part of my crew. If he's a good person."

Coby gaped, before sputtering "Impossible, impossible! He's been locked up because he's a bad guy! You're a pirate, he's a pirate hunter! He'd kill you! Why would he become a pirate anyway? Impossible, impossible, impossible!" Coby was abruptly bonked 'lightly' on the head by Luffy. "Why'd you hit me?" Coby asked, nursing the knock on his noggin. "Just because!" Luffy said, laughing without a care in the world, as the two sailed through the East Blue with Thrasher leading the way.

**

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Please, review. I need some honest feedback. I'm hoping I didn't alter Luffy's character too much. I promise, he'll still be a loveable idiot. He'll just be a slightly cautious idiot. Please read, be patient about the update, and continue to live a full life. Ja ne!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's what's happened: I've skipped the Morgan and Buggy arcs simply because I find them boring and repetitive. So, I've skipped to Usopp. Got a problem, deal with it; it's my story, I'll write it as I want to. Let your own mind make up the blank spaces, while hidden secrets in the cracks slowly but surely emerge! Mwahahahahaha! With that, please enjoy.**

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It was approximately a week since Luffy had popped out of the barrel, and he'd already gotten two nakama. His swordsman and first mate sat in a semi-coma in the boat Luffy was on. His hair was a shocking shade of light green, his body tan and muscular, wearing a white shirt, green waistband, and black pants. Next to him, in a place of glory, were three swords, two of them standard with black scabbards, while one was white, and a much higher quality than the other two. The man was Roronoa Zoro, pirate-hunter-turned-pirate, whom Luffy had saved from the clutches of the corrupt Axe-Hand Morgan.

'_I hope Coby does okay. Maybe he'll forgive me one day for blasting him full of Haki to convince the Marines he wasn't with me.'_ Luffy turned his gaze from Zoro to the other boat, which was occupied by his navigator. The woman had shockingly orange hair, wore a mini-skirt with a _very_ tight blouse, and black boots. Her collapsible staff hung from her thigh like a garter. This was Nami, the pirate thief that had entered into a 'temporary alliance' with them for the sake of treasure, after witnessing their awesome strength when they'd clobbered the Buggy Pirates and their captain.

'_Man, I wouldn't want to be Buggy right now. He's literally just a head, two hands, and two feet. Aw, well, serves him right for destroying the town and bad-mouthing Shanks.'_ Luffy grinned as the memory of their confrontation with Buggy popped into his head: the looks on the crew's face when he'd used his Haki to divert the Buggy ball, the way he'd knocked Ritchie the lion tail-over-teakettle for destroying the dog's owner's shop, and finally how far Buggy had flown from his Gomu Gomu no Bazooka after he'd reassembled a few pieces short. Between Zoro's Santouryu and Luffy's destructive punches/ debilitating psychic assaults, it'd been a cakewalk.

Luffy sensed that his new navigator had a few skeletons in her closet, but didn't question her on it. If his nakama had secrets, she had secrets. It was as simple as that. Currently, the trio was floating along the ocean in the boat Nami had stolen from Buggy and the ship Luffy had gotten from Alvida's crew. Thrasher had stopped speeding them along in favor of doing a little hunting and sunbathing. Considering the weather and lack of an emergency, Luffy was content to let the playful Sea King have his fun.

"It still freaks me out that you have a Sea King for a pet, captain." Zoro said, making a random remark merely to alleviate the boredom that wrapped around them like gauze. Luffy shrugged. His pet was his pet. Despite the fact he'd slightly dismembered Shanks, Thrasher was good company and damn useful. So, he stayed. Nami, who had seemed particularly creeped out by Thrasher's presence since she'd seen him, decided not to comment. Instead, she put on a 'no-nonsense' face and proclaimed "Listen up! We've decided to go to the Grand Line; all the most powerful pirates on the planet will be there. We can't go there with two rafts! We need a real ship!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You treat money like it's worth more than the air you breathe, and you're the one to suggest we buy a ship? You're sounding like a hypocrite, woman." Nami flushed red with anger, and was about to deliver heaven's fury upon the man's head, pirate hunter or no, when Luffy abruptly yelled out in childish glee "An island! I see an island! Maybe there's a meat store there! Set course for that island!" The interruption served to cease Nami's growing homicidal thoughts, and succeeded in drawing Thrasher's attention. With a final sigh/roar of contentment, the massive sea-snake expertly hooked up to the ropes connecting the two small ships and started hauling tail.

In a matter of seconds, they'd reached the shallows. Luffy grinned at his pet, and even stretched out his arm to give the beast a pat on the head. "Good boy! Now you can go back to relaxing! Just promise to stay in calling distance!" Thrasher gave a small bob of the head, before diving into the deeps to explore the surrounding seascape. As he left, the boats scraped against wet sand, and the budding Straw Hat crew stepped onto terra firma. Luffy grinned, and examined the surroundings as Nami consulted her maps to find info on the island and Zoro stretched.

Suddenly, Zoro was gripping the handle of his katana. Put on alert, Luffy and Nami scanned the cliffside to find whatever had set the swordsman on edge. They got their answer when pirate flags tied to sticks rose up all across the bushes at the top of the cliff face, and projectiles suddenly erupted against the sand at Luffy's feet, making him dance. Out of nowhere, a man appeared at an outcropping halfway down the cliff. His bushy black hair was slightly tamed by a green bandana. He wore brown overalls, yellowish boots, and had a bag slung over one shoulder. His most prominent feature was his thin, three-inch nose.

"Halt!" he yelled out in a vaguely overdramatic fashion. "If you're planning on taking over this island, forget about it! I'm the captain of the pirate crew that rules the village. Men and children adore me as Captain Usopp! Leave right now, or my 80 million men will crush you all!" This was all said in a tone that practically screamed 'Liar', but that was lost on Luffy. His eyes started sparkling, and he gave his trademark yell of "Sugei!" His mind was already creating images of an epic battle between massive hordes of pirates and himself with his strength eventually emerging victorious, when Nami brought that bubble crashing down.

"Please, he's obviously lying. If you're going to lie, make it believable." Usopp gave a jerk, as if honestly surprised that she'd seen through it, before resuming his extravagant tone, shouting "Eighty million might be an exaggeration, but my men are more than a match for you!" Nami gave a little grin, asking "You mean all three of them?" At her words, three kids with oddly-shaped heads popped out of the bushes and started running away, screaming all the while.

Usopp was now thoroughly deflated, but he seemed to muster some kind of desperate courage. He pulled out a slingshot and a pachinko, before lining up with Luffy, who had his hat shading his eyes. "Alright, I lied about all that. But, you still can't come here. As you saw, my skills with the slingshot are greater than that of a pistol! I can't allow you to pass; my honor won't allow it! That's why people call me Usopp, the Proud!" As if to contradict his words, Usopp's entire body was trembling with fear. His aim remained steady, however.

Luffy grinned. He liked this guy. It was time to test his character. "Risk your life." Luffy said, drawing confusion from his crew and Usopp. "With that shot, you will risk your life," Luffy repeated, looking up to stare at Usopp. "This isn't a kid's game." With those words, Luffy brought his Haki to the surface, not actively using it, just shaping it into a kind of vibe that wouldn't be agreeable with the faint of heart. Zoro was unaffected, being pretty tolerant of Luffy's Haki, though Nami seemed a tad sweaty. Usopp, at the other extreme, went into near-convulsions of fear. Luffy's eyes never wavered from his stare. Zoro added fuel to the fire with "The man before you is a true pirate; don't toy with us."

Slowly, Usopp sank to his knees, slingshot forgotten. "I should have known," he said. "The words of a true pirate are much more intimidating than my own." He hung his head. He was still conscious, which told Luffy a whole lot right there, such as the fact that despite the man's obvious fear of conflict, he had an iron will that he might not even be aware of. Luffy grinned. He and Zoro exchanged glances, before bursting out laughing, eliciting a small smile from Nami and a look of confusion from Usopp. When Luffy was in control again, he yelled up at Usopp "Oi isn't your dad Yasopp? I used to know him! Let's talk over food!"

The words were such a surprise that Usopp fell from her perch to collide with the ground. However, he picked himself up without difficulty, looked the crew up and down as if trying to decide something, before he started grinning and laughing like some switch had flipped on his personality. In a much more jovial mood, he led the three of them up the trail to a small village, where he proceeded to treat them at a restaurant. Along the way, Luffy noted the glares of mixed annoyance and weary tolerance thrown Usopp's way. It was obvious even to him that Usopp's lying was a big thorn in everyone's side, but they were so used to it that they'd grown comfortable in the habit. Still, one day they might snap. Luffy noted this out of the corner of his eye, more concerned with the heavenly smell of cooked meat under his nose as he enjoyed the meal Usopp had bought for them.

"So, you knew my dad?" Usopp asked, waiting until the odd pirate crew had started with their meal. Luffy nodded vigorously, simultaneously consuming meat and apples at a rate that would make a lesser man sick. "Yeah, he was on Shanks' crew when they were based at my village," Luffy said, taking a break in his feasting. "Your dad was a pretty cool guy. He was the best marksman ever! He once shot the wings off a fly while I watched! He was also always talking about his son, saying how he wished he could be with him." Luffy grinned wildly. "I heard so much about you growing up, Usopp, my ears practically fell off!"

Usopp grinned insanely, as if Luffy had just given him the best news of his life. "My father talked about me, you say? Bragged, even?" Luffy nodded, returning to his food for a while. Usopp seemed to be on an endorphin high for a little. Considering the relaxed atmosphere, Zoro chose that moment to ask some questions that had been burning in his mind since he met Luffy. A swordsman must have patience, but Zoro was _really_ curious.

"Captain," Zoro started, gaining Luffy's attention. "I was wondering about something. You said that your special power is merely an upgraded form of a force that exists in all strong-hearted individuals. Is it possible that _I_ have Haki? If so, what can I do with it?" Luffy blinked, the question being one he hadn't expected, before he mulled over it in his head. His knowledge of Haki was sketchy at best, mostly speculation based off his own powers and what little information he heard from travelers who stopped by Fuusha Village.

"I'm not sure, but it's likely that you have Haki of your own, since you've been training for years solely to achieve your ambition. It wouldn't be as strong as mine, but basically it would be a kind of spiritual steroid. The force of your will would make those with weaker hearts feel drained or even collapse, and your blows would be… amplified, I guess. It's hard to explain, but when I use my Haki in a punch, it's not so much that my fist is harder or stronger, it's just that there's something else there, like iron wrapped in steel; the _spirit_ of my fist is attacking the spirit of my target. Not many things are naturally faced with psychic assaults, so they 'crack' on that side of the scale, making it much easier for my fist to break it; as above, so below." Here, Luffy grinned like a madman. "If you could do that with your swords that would be so awesome! It's settled; I'm teaching you how to use Haki."

Luffy turned to face Nami. "Maybe I could teach you too. You're a girl, and all you know how to do in combat is hit things with your staff. You'll need all the help you can get." Nami darkened at his calling her a girl, but logic forced her to concede the point. Her skills lied in deception, stealth, and the occasional bout of seduction. In a physical fight, she'd be crushed. Luffy laughed in joy at the monumental idea. "It's only fair that my crew knows how to use Haki when I can! Plus, Haki cancels out some parts of Devil's fruit powers, so we'd have a huge edge in the Grand Line! Why didn't _I_ think of this?"

Zoro responded "Because you're an idiot, captain." He said it with a straight face. Luffy nodded, knowing that it was true: he might have forced a modicum of self-restraint into himself, and might have been a tad more observant because of that, but at heart he was a bumbling fool. Usopp, who'd been totally lost up to this point, suddenly looked like he was having a stroke. Everyone at the table looked at him in concern, before he managed to stutter out "T-t-the G-grand L-l-line?" At that, Luffy, Nami, and Zoro all sighed, forgetting that the destination of the crew was the object of much fear.

Luffy patted Usopp on the back, slightly clearing the man's lungs after they'd contracted in proxy fear. "Cheer up! We're strong! Besides, I'm the one who's going to find One Piece and become the Pirate King! I need to go to the Grand Line to do that!" The logic was simple and groundless, but it seemed to hit home. Usopp's gaze turned inward, before he started to talk, as if to himself. "My dream is to be a brave warrior of the sea, like my father before me. He's in the Grand Line. If I could make it there…" His expression was oddly somber, before he closed his eyes and smiled as if suddenly thinking of a joke.

"It's too bad I'm too big a coward to leave this village. I like you guys, but with all respect, you're sailing to your deaths! Still, is their anyway I can help you? I want to be able to say I at least tried to help!" Luffy grinned, before shaking his head. It was up to Usopp to realize that his heart had already decided. Focusing on the present, Luffy addressed the immediate problem for the crew. "Now that you mention it, is there a place we can find a ship? We can't keep going around in two small boats, or at least that's what Nami says. I don't see why, but she's the smart one, so…" He failed to notice how Nami flushed slightly at the compliment.

Usopp looked as if his first instinct was to lie and say there was no such place, but then his mouth closed as he started to consider it. He'd promised, hadn't he? Besides, this man had the kind of aura that made Usopp want to earn his trust, not abuse it. Debating internally, he finally decided to take the right-hand path. "Well, I'm friends with the ojousama that lives in the mansion up the hill. She's been depressed since her parents died, and I've been amusing her with my lies. Maybe if I put in a good word, she'd consider having a ship commissioned for you. Is that okay with you guys?" Luffy grinned, looking to see identical smiles on his nakamas' faces.

"Let's give it a shot! But first, we finish eating!" With that, Luffy seemed to inhale all the food on the table in the blink of an eye, making Usopp's eyes widen and Nami and Zoro start muttering about 'finishing off our food for us again' or some such stuff. Luffy paid them no mind. The chief tenant that he lived his life by was 'when you're hungry, eat', regardless if the food was his or not. A King needed strength to rule his subjects, after all.

Still casting looks towards Luffy, Usopp led them out of the restaurant. He was just about to lead them up towards the manor, when Onion, Pepper, and Carrot jumped out from the behind some nearby barrels, carrying wooden daggers and yelling "FOR THE USOPP PIRATES!" They began their charge straight at the trio of pirates, not even noticing their astounded captain.

"Nothing permanent," Luffy nonchalantly commanded, before waiting until the last second to give Carrot, who'd aimed for him, a bash on the head that drove him into the dirt. In the same moment, Zoro had chopped Pepper with the back of his blade and Nami had given Onion a kick in the kinmata. The three children dropped like rocks. Usopp looked appalled at the damage to his 'crew'. "Oi, why'd you do that? They're just kids!" Luffy shrugged, and merely said "They got in the way." With that, he arranged the three more comfortable on the side of the road, to avoid foot traffic and allow them to be unconscious peacefully.

Usopp glowered for a second, before sighing in defeat and continuing with the journey up the hill. As they neared the estate, Usopp maneuvered them away from the foreboding bodyguards, leading them towards an unassuming hedge that was actually as sturdy a wall as the steel grate at the main entrance. With a knowing smirk, Usopp grabbed a square section of the hedge, revealing it to be a secret door. Holding a finger to his lips, Usopp snuck in through the hole, leaving the crew to follow in behind him.

Luffy took one look and went "Wow, this girl's living it up! This place is _huuuuuuuuuge_!" Quick as lightning, Luffy's mouth was covered by Usopp's hand. "Shhhhhh!" the marksman hissed, before letting Luffy go. The pirate captain pouted, but kept his silence. Usopp, with stealth worthy of Nami's operations, made his way to a tree near the south wall, where he proceeded to climb up and knock on the nearby window.

A fair woman with fair hair and pale skin answered the door, a joyful expression on her face. "Usopp-kun! You're here. What story are you going to tell me today?" Usopp grinned, blushing faintly, and said "Well, there was the time I was five when I fought off a giant goldfish, but I have something to ask you first, Kaya." At her confused expression, Usopp indicated Luffy and the gang at the base of the tree. "These guys are pirates that came to bask in the glory of Captain Usopp's presence, but they're in need of a ship. Being the proud and merciful captain that I am, I decided to help them. I was wondering if you might not mind lending them a ship."

Kaya paused, before regarding the crew. She noted Zoro's calm stance, Nami's confident air, and the sparkle in Luffy's eyes. A grin spread across her features; Kaya was a good judge of character. She opened her mouth to voice her approval, but was interrupted by the harsh cry of "Halt!" Everyone turned to look at an approaching man. He wore a fine tuxedo, oddly striped shoes, and wore slightly loose glasses over his sharp eyes, his dark hair immaculately combed. He possessed an intimidating air, and made Usopp visibly start to panic.

The man stopped a few yards away from the motley crew, looking up at them and saying "You have no business here. Please leave before I am forced to call the bodyguards." He fixed his glasses with an odd motion of his wrist, not using his fingers at all. Luffy felt something… off about the man. Call it king's intuition, but Luffy suspected that this man was more than he appeared. Kaya spoke up with "Please, Kurahadol, don't mind them. They're friends of Usopp-kun and they wanted to ask me," before she was cut off.

"Please, Kaya-ojousama, don't defend them. They're obviously ruffians, and they don't belong." The crew's eyes narrowed at the insult, and Luffy started to ominously crack his knuckles. Kurahadol ignored them. "Is that Usopp-kun up there?" the caretaker asked, making Usopp jump. "I've heard quite a lot about you around the village. They say that you lie and make everyone's life difficult. I guess that's what one should expect, since you're the son of the low-class pirate!" A contemptuous sneer materialized on Kurahadol's face.

Usopp's fear melted into anger in the space of a second. "What did you say?" Usopp asked with as much malice as he could muster, as he used a hook in his bag to descend to the ground. Kurahadol glared at Usopp as if he were something dirty he'd gotten on his shoes. "Your father abandoned your mother and yourself so that he could spend his life pirating. He's a low-class thief, and nothing more!" Usopp began to see red. Kurahadol continued on with "And it shows! You spend your days lying to the village and worming yourself into our ojousama's life! What is it a low-life like you wants from our ojousama? Is it money? How much do you want?"

The sound of flesh smacking flesh filled the air; Usopp was so angry he'd socked Kurahadol right across the face, an expression of undeniable rage on his face. The caretaker clutched his cheek from his position on the ground and cried "You see that? I upset him, and he immediately turned violent! Such a dangerous person shouldn't be near the ojousama!" "SHUT UP!!!!" Usopp yelled back at him, with such force that even Luffy was stunned. "You're calling my dad a low-life? He's anything but! My father sails the seas as a true warrior of the sea! I'm proud to be related to him; for I'm the son of a pirate!"

A baby flicker of Haki, too small to be felt, burst forth from Usopp as he said this, making Luffy pause in his advance to join Usopp in hitting the caretaker. _'Wow, he used Haki just by proclaiming his pride in something. This guy really isn't just a coward.'_ Unexpectedly, Zoro wasn't forced to hold Luffy back. Instead, Luffy gave a grin. Usopp had just become the object of Luffy's whims, and that was a place no sane person wanted to be. Luffy yelled "Usopp!" The man turned from his glare at Kurahadol to regard Luffy with curiosity. "Don't just say it; prove it!" Luffy chuckled encouragingly. "We need a marksman; join our crew and be a true warrior of the sea like your dad!"

Usopp's eyes widened in surprised, while Zoro and Nami just grinned a little at their captain's antics; he'd snagged a pirate hunter and a pirate thief so far, so a pirate heir was par for the course. Before the long-nosed man could even process the offer, Kurahadol stood up. He dusted himself off and said "How you low-lives decide to gather together does not concern this household. All of you: leave now." Usopp glared at him one last time, before turning to leave the way he'd came, Luffy and the crew following behind him. On any other day, Luffy would have socked the man all the way to Fuusha Village, but today he had a man to convince that being on the Straw Hat crew was the coolest thing in the world.

* * *

"No." Usopp said, crossing his arms with finality. "Ah, come on, why not? Being a pirate's fun! We get to go adventuring, do whatever we want, and see the world! What more could you want? I'll even make it a point to go looking for your dad. Please come with us!" It was shortly after the group had left the mansion, and Luffy had kept up a non-stop barrage of wheedling, which had so far been unsuccessful. Usopp was obstinate when it came to leaving his home. As he'd repeatedly said, "What would the Usopp Pirate crew or Kaya or the villagers do without my lies to excite them?"

Of course, the people in question would have told Usopp in a heartbeat to follow his dream, but Usopp didn't take that into consideration. Luffy, on the other hand, didn't care. "I don't care about that! You are going to be part of my crew!" Usopp threw up his hands in exasperation, before an interested expression came on his face. "Ooh, what's that?" Every one turned to look at… nothing. When the turned back around, a small dust cloud in the distance was the only thing to mark that Usopp had ever been with them.

Zoro sighed. "I'll give that guy one thing: he can run like hell." Nami nodded in agreement, impressed that someone could run that fast. Luffy sighed. "Damn, and just when I was wearing him down! Now, we need to find him so I can keep working on him." As the three were walking down the path, they came upon the slowly awakening Usopp Pirate crew. Luffy grinned at the lucky coincidence, before making his way over.

Luffy crouched near them and asked "Oi, where does your captain go when he runs off?" The groggy trio looked up at who was talking to them, before realizing it was the guy who'd kidnapped their captain and knocked them out. "MONSTER!" they yelled in sync, before attempting to crab-walk away as fast as humanly possible. Luffy, however, had an unfair advantage, and stretched out his fingers to snag the three before bringing them back. Luffy frowned as he said "Oi, you don't have to overreact. You just have to tell me where Usopp goes when he needs to think, and I'll let you go."

"HE STRETCHED!" the three yelled, now in a blind terror. Luffy sighed, tired of his ability freaking people out, and exasperatedly asked "One last time: where does Usopp go to think?" "The cliffside! / He goes to the cliffside! / He just stares at the ocean to soothe his aching heart!" The three of them said, as if it had been rehearsed. Luffy smiled wordlessly, and let them go. They ran for the hills with almost as much speed as their captain before them. "You have such a way with children," Nami remarked sarcastically. Luffy shrugged, not really caring. "You two, stay here and rest for a bit. If I'm not back by sunset with our marksman, come looking for me." Not even waiting for an answer, Luffy took off down the road in the direction he thought the coast was, leaving an exasperated Nami and hibernating Zoro behind him.

In a matter of minutes, Luffy had reached the coast. Usopp was indeed there, staring off at the waves. "I know you're there," the man remarked, as Luffy walked up. Luffy sat down next to Usopp, not saying anything yet. He could sense that Usopp was wrestling over something. The breeze was comforting as the two sat there at the border of sky, earth, and sea, while one of them dealt with an internal crisis on an unprecedented scale.

"When I was a boy," Usopp eventually said, getting Luffy's attention. "I used to go running through the village like I still do today, screaming that pirates were coming. I did it because… I hoped if I said it enough times, it would come true. I wished that I would see my dad's ship on the horizon, and know that I wasn't alone in this world. But he never came." Usopp sighed heavily, staring at his hands. "It never even occurred to me to go looking for him myself. I was too cowardly. So, I just stayed here and kept lying to everyone, including myself. It's all I know how to do."

"But you guys…" Usopp shook his head with an unrecognizable emotion. Wonder? Disapproval? Something else? "You guys are so vibrant; not an hour ago, I didn't know you existed, and yet you've done more exciting things in the time I've known you then I've had my whole life." Usopp chuckled to himself. "I want to go with you; I truly do. But, how can I? I've got Onion and Pepper and Carrot. There's also Kaya. I can't just pack up and leave."

Luffy touched his straw hat, and brought it down to shade his eyes. He spoke up suddenly. "When I left Fuusha Village, it was just on a fun little dip into the waters around my island. I expected to sail around, have some fun, but eventually go back and see the Mayor and my Grandpa and Makino-san. Instead, I wound up floating in a barrel that was picked up by a pirate vessel." Luffy laughed to himself as Usopp stared at him incredulously.

"You know what a pirate is? It's not some tough guy that goes around stealing from people, or pissing off the Marines, or even sailing through the Grand Line. A true pirate is a man who throws away his old life, all his friends and family and his home, for the sake of his dream." Luffy turned to face Usopp with a serious glint in his eyes. "To become the Pirate King, I never got to say good-bye to the people close to me. To become the greatest swordsman, a pirate hunter became a pirate. To get a hundred million Beli and draw a map of the world, a thief that hated pirates traveled with two of them. Is your dream strong enough for you to leave Kaya and your friends behind?"

Usopp shuddered as the weight of the question fell on his shoulders. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to answer right then and there, because of the arrival of two very suspicious people at the bottom of the cliff. Usopp turned to look at them. One of them wore a cowboy hat, heart-shaped sunglasses, and had some odd goatee. His wardrobe looked like it'd come out of the closet of some demented disco dancer, and he was toying with an odd steel ring in his hand. The other man was none other than Kurahadol, the caretaker.

Luffy was curious as to why the high-and-mighty guy was meeting at such a strange place with such a strange guy, and joined Usopp in quietly listening to their conversation from their lofty perch. Kurahadol turned to regard the odd man. "Jango, I thought I ordered you to remain inconspicuous. I find you lying in the middle of the road asleep with three kids. Don't tell me that you still have that problem." Kurahadol fixed his glasses again, acting in a completely different manner than he had at Kaya's home; he was darker, more commanding, and much scarier.

The man spread his arms out in a calming gesture. "Calm yourself, Captain. I was just showing off to some kids. Anyway, what is this about? Your plan to insinuate yourself in the ojousama's life and steal her fortune has played out beautifully for the past three years. My men are in place and raring to go. What possible reason do we have for this meeting, Captain Kuro?" Unbeknownst to the man, he had just provided a gold mine of information to the two young men above them.

"C-captain Kuro? As in, Kuro of the thousand plans? He was one of the most notorious pirates in East Blue in his time; his planning abilities were unmatched. But, the Marines executed him years ago! To think, Kurahadol was secretly him all this time…" Usopp shivered next to Luffy, who was regarding Kurahadol/Kuro with confusion. _'This guy used to be a pirate? Why is he hanging around here on land?'_ If there was one thing Luffy knew, it was that no true pirate could resist the call of the sea. Either this Kuro guy was weak-willed, Luffy concluded, or he was really just that greedy for Kaya's money.

The newly revealed Captain Kuro sighed in annoyance. "Jango, how many times must I tell you? We cannot simply kill the girl. You must hypnotize her into writing a will leaving everything to her caretaker Kurahadol, namely me. I just wanted to make sure that that chaotic rabble that is your crew was capable with a little subtlety." Kuro fixed his glasses yet again, and regarded Jango with a glare. Jango's grin was a smidge more false than it had been before. "It's all prepared, Captain Kuro. The men know that they just have to ravage the village and leave the 'accident' to me. We just need your signal tomorrow at dawn."

Usopp was having a panic attack. _'Kuso, this is bad! I've got to warn the village! But I can't move or they'll see me? What to do!!'_ The choice was taken out of his hands when Luffy, quite visibly, stood up and yelled, quite audibly, "Oi! Don't you dare think about hurting the ojousama!" Usopp did an odd little faint at Luffy's recklessness. The two men turned to regard Luffy, and consequently Usopp. Jango looked surprised, while Kuro merely looked annoyed.

Luffy was angry. Why were they being so cowardly? A pirate faced his fights head on; they didn't scurry around in the dark like these two! He was so angry that he didn't even hear it when Kuro confronted the two of them and Usopp threw up his translucent lies. He _did_ take notice when Jango started to wave his chakram on a string. "When I say one, two, Jango, you'll fall asleep. One, two, JANGO!" Luffy felt odd. He felt really sleepy all of a sudden. It would be a really good idea to take a nap…

The next thing Luffy knew, he was in a position that would, with his stretchiness, provide whole new _levels_ of carnal pleasure, had he been so inclined. However, he was slightly uncomfortable. Luffy stretched out, sighing contentment as he always did after a good nap. But wait… wasn't he just on top of the cliff? Luffy opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. He was at the bottom of the cliff, in a slight crater. Nami was looking at him with a frustrated expression, Zoro was readjusting the sword he'd used to poke Luffy awake, and the collective Usopp Pirates were staring at him in shock.

To Luffy's surprise, the sky shone orange and rose. It was sunset already? Luffy cocked his head, trying to sort the information, but not doing so well. Zoro sighed and said "Captain, why on earth were you down here? You looked like you fell asleep up the cliff and fell down here." Luffy connected the dots, and stood up suddenly. "Zoro, Nami, something happened. Usopp and I were talking, when the caretaker and this weird guy showed up! He called the caretaker Captain Kuro or something. They said that they were going to attack the village and steal the ojousama's money at dawn tomorrow! Then I called them out, and the weird ossan said something, and the next thing I knew I was down here!"

Everyone's eyes widened, shocked by the turn of events. Luffy suddenly yelled "Wait, where's Usopp?" Luffy looked around and, finding the long-nose absent, started running down the path to find him. The others were forced to keep pace as their captain started running off into nowhere, while the three children's own worries for their captain surfaced, as the man had been acting very different when they'd seen him running towards the village.

Apparently, one of Luffy's relatives had had a kid with Lady Luck or something, because they found Usopp on the path coming towards them. Usopp looked up, and nearly collapsed. Usopp ran up to them and asked "How are you alive? You fell off the cliff!" Luffy shrugged. Now that he'd found Usopp, he was trying to remember why he was worried in the first place. Was there even a reason? Luffy's life was full of these impulsive blackouts.

The kid pirate trio spoke up with "Captain! / We found out about Kuro, Captain! / We've got to warn the village right away!" Usopp's eyes got hazy, and the true pirates noticed how he slipped his armband a bit higher up, hiding some injury that seemed to have come from a gun. Usopp suddenly laughed with a false cheer, and proceeded to give his most convincing lie yet. "You can forget about that! I was so mad at the caretaker that I spread that lie around! This guy believed every word! But it was all a lie, so we don't have to mention it anymore!"

The kids grinned at the end of the problem, but they got frowns as they started to walk off. "That was a low thing, Captain. / Captain has never lied to hurt someone before. / I've lost respect for Captain." With that syncopated disapproval, the three left towards the village, not noticing the desolate expression on Usopp's face. Luffy raised an eyebrow. "Why did you lie? You heard the caretaker! We've got to warn everyone!"

Usopp sighed in utter defeat. "Don't bother. I already tried that after you fell asleep. At first, I wondered why those two didn't try to kill me too, but then I found out why. When I tried to tell everyone, they all thought it was just another lie. Not even Kaya believed me; Meri even shot me!" Usopp slid down his armband, showing the small bullet-hole that was steadily streaming blood. The man seemed to be on the brink of tears. The crew exchanged a glance, before leading Usopp down to a secluded spot by the cliffs. As night fell, Nami treated the wound, to the obvious and exaggerated discomfort of Usopp.

Zoro spoke up with "That was a good thing you did, keeping those kids safe. But, what do you actually plan to do?" Usopp sighed, before a look of grim determination settled on his features. "I said that pirates were attacking tomorrow. Yet, I am a liar. As such, it is my duty to ensure that that remains a lie. One way or another tomorrow will be another peaceful day. I'll stop those pirates!" Usopp attempted to stand, but his knees were shaking so much that he fell down again. He stared down the silently watching crew. "What's with those looks? Scared? Of course I am! But that doesn't matter! I have to do this!"

Luffy grinned on the inside: Usopp had just sealed his position on the Straw Hat crew. Talented, semi-decent acting, and determination; what else could Luffy ask for in a nakama? The insanely strong young man cracked his knuckles, sending a silent message to his crew. Nami held up a finger. "Let's get something straight: all of their treasure is mine." Usopp looked up confused, while Zoro gripped his swords in anticipation. Luffy turned to face Usopp. "We're going to help. But, you have to promise to join our crew."

Usopp's face shined with gratitude for a split second, before anger stepped in. "I don't need your pity! I'll do it myself!" Luffy let loose a small flicker of Haki. It was the equivalent to a slap to the face, and Usopp choked on his next retort. Luffy stared at Usopp with his eerily piercing eyes, stating "If it were pity, would we risk our lives? Besides, I already decided to make you my nakama. Now, we have to seal the deal." Usopp stared in wonder at him for a moment, before ducking his head to hide his tears. All he could say was a meek yet heartfelt "Arigato."

* * *

By dawn, Usopp had set up traps all along the passage towards the village, including a nasty oil slick. Luffy regarded the safety measures, and felt a niggling thought at the back of his mind. As Usopp started to boast how awesome his traps were to the not-really-listening Nami and Zoro, Luffy remembered. He was so unused to being the smart one that it actually took a few seconds for the words to reach his mouth. "Oi, wait a minute! What about the cliff we landed at?"

All conversation died in a heartbeat as the gathered people first dealt with the shock of _Luffy_ being the first to notice something, and then the nasty realization of the truth. Usopp yelled in dismay "I forgot! There's an identical cliff to the north of here! I just thought that they'd use this one because they held the meeting here! Kuso, what have I done?" Luffy had stopped listening after the second sentence, tearing down the path at a wild sprint. Behind him, Usopp blinked before following with equal speed. Just as Zoro prepared to follow, Nami screamed in terror and knocked Zoro onto the oil in her haste as she flew off, screaming "My treasures! Don't worry, babies! Mommy's coming!" Zoro's curses of rage didn't even reach her as she and the other two took off at speeds that summed up approximately with mach 2.

'_North, north, north, north… which way's north?'_ Luffy paused. _'Think Luffy! The last time you charged into something on instinct alone, you wound up with Ace in a coma 'cause you forgot to rein in the Haki! Calm down and think it through… yeah, right. Okay, let's just get the right direction. The sun rises in the east… so if I turn left when I'm facing the sun…'_ Luffy, with great care, faced the rising sun and turned smartly to the left. A clear direction in mind, Luffy once again took off at hellish speeds.

Luffy hadn't realized how long it had taken him to think. _'Probably why I don't do it often,'_ Luffy remarked sarcastically to himself. Anyway, the sun was fully above the horizon by the time he reached the specified cliff. Luffy, in the haze of his sprint, noted what details he could find. Usopp was lying bloody on the ground, with Nami hovering worriedly over him, amid a sea of caltrops. Rapidly approaching, a horde of cat-themed pirates were charging. At the base of the cliff, a large ship rested with the prow facing the land.

Out of nowhere, a slightly oil-stained Zoro was beside Luffy. "About time you got here," the swordsman remarked, while Luffy merely cracked his fists. As the group of pirates approached, Luffy proudly pulled back his fists as Zoro loosened his swords. "3…2…1, here we go." With those words, Luffy let fly, the insane strength and speed his grandpa had hammered into him alongside his own personal training showing its worth as each and every one of the pirates flew back down the cliff on the force of his punches, aided in their take-off by the blindingly quick and powerful slashes on behalf of Zoro.

Luffy took a moment to get back his breath after his mad dash and subsequent attack. He then proceeded to yell at Usopp. "Usopp! You didn't tell me which way was north. Do you know how _long_ it took me to think it through?" Sweatdrops appeared on the heads of everyone in hearing distance at the comment, before Usopp fired back "What are you talking about? You're the one that took off with all that confidence!" Luffy shook his head in exasperation. "Rule number one of being my nakama: realize that I'm a hopeless idiot! That run was just a reflex, pure instinct!"

Luffy spared himself more self-inflicted embarrassment by turning his attention to the pirates. "You're the guys who were going to hurt the ojousama? Well, here's what you get! **Thrasher, move the boat!**" His last words carried an echoing, booming aura so thick that the walls of the cliff started to vibrate to pieces as the sound waves passed. Barely a few seconds later, the giant head of Luffy's pet appeared out of the water, scaring the overawed pirate crew shitless. Paying no heed to the panicked yells of surprise and fear, Thrasher gripped the boat gently with his teeth as ordered and proceeded to drag the boat away into the distance.

Jango panicked at the sight of the disappearing ship, and immediately took out his ring. "Oi!" he yelled out, causing the Sea King to reflexively look at him. "When I say one, two, Jango, you'll fall asleep. One, two, Jango!" Thrasher was belly-up with a snot bubble in seconds. As the Black Cat crew breathed a sigh of relief, Luffy's anger grew. Nobody, _nobody_, messed with his pet! With a mighty battle cry, Luffy charged forward, drawing the crew's attention to their approaching demise.

"GOMU GOMU NO **GATTLING!**" Luffy had no mercy as he loaded his fists to the brim with Haki and charged the crew, his fists moving so fast that they seemed to multiply. Each time his fist connected with an enemy, there was a brief moment when they were still, the force of his punch seemingly muted, before they'd rocket back into the sea with their eyes crossed and their lips bloody from internal injuries. Luffy had enough presence of mind not to make the amount of Haki lethal, as he wasn't exactly eager to kill, but the Black Cat crew wouldn't be doing any strenuous activity like walking anytime soon.

When Luffy finally paused to recuperate, more than eighty percent of the pirates were floating some distance away in the water, among the lucky ones Jango and two odd men that had hopped out of the water and seemed pretty pissed. Zoro yelled out from the top of the cliff "Luffy! Were you planning to leave some for me, you selfish idiot?" Nami and Usopp were silent beside him, their jaws practically disconnected in their shock. Nami had gotten a brief taste of Luffy's true power when he faced Buggy, but this was something else. Hell's bells, he might just be stronger than _Arlong_!

Usopp, on the other hand, had never seen anything like this. Maybe he'd hit his head yesterday morning and this was all a crazy dream? Sure, that would be more believable than the god-like strength this one man seemingly possessed. A pet Sea King, some weird force that knocked around his thoughts and now fists that took down all those pirates in one move? Yep, definitely the head injury.

Jango was now officially scared for his life, while the newly-arrived Siam and Butchie were in a rage to find that someone had harmed the ship. Thrasher's teeth had left marks, and the two ship-guards took any damage against the vessel as an act of war. As the two prepared to turn this kid into casserole, an angry voice abruptly broke the air. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Everyone turned in unison to stare at the new arrival: former captain of the Black Hat crew, Kuro of the thousand plans. The man carried a gym bag over one shoulder, and his face was livid.

Kuro was enraged. The idiots that he once called his crew had been late, and when he arrived to see what the hold-up was, he found the ship afloat off the coastline, failing to notice the slightly-submerged slumbering Sea King beside it, over half his crew unconscious in the water, and the brats _still alive_. Kuro saw this as his crew deciding to have some fun in the sun instead of doing their job, and was consequently ready to kill. He wasn't even going to bother asking for an explanation. He was going to kill the crew ahead of schedule, and drag Jango bodily to hypnotize the ojousama afterwards.

With practiced movements that hadn't deteriorated in the intervening three years, Kuro opened the gym bag and expertly withdrew and donned his infamous cat's claws, thickly padded gloves with a thin katana at each finger. As Kuro prepared himself, Luffy's crazy stamina made itself known, as the youth was suddenly ready for another round. He quickly issued orders to his crew: it wasn't fair for him to hog all the fun. "Zoro, you got the two weird guys behind me. Usopp and Nami, handle the weirder guy. The caretaker's mine."

Usopp might not have officially joined the crew, but the tone that Luffy used brooked no argument. Still not entirely sure that this wasn't a vastly complicated hallucination, Usopp pulled out his slingshot: the beauty of fighting like a coward was you didn't have to move. Nami grimly assembled her staff, thinking of the treasures she'd _acquire_ from the pirates after this mess to motivate her. Zoro, meanwhile, looked like a kid at Yuletide. He assumed his classic stance, with a blade in each hand and between his teeth. Kuro narrowed his eyes, but paid no heed; the kids could play around, but he was going to get his crew for this.

Kuro, moving too fast to be seen, suddenly rushed forward, intent on making his crew pay for their ineptitude. Luffy's eyebrows raised in surprise, before he threw a punch. The impossible happened: Kuro was hit when using the stealth foot. As if it were a signal, Zoro and Nami rushed forward to deal with their assigned enemies as Usopp lined up his sights. The still-furious ship guards rushed forward to deal with the sword-guy charging them, not even bothering with the slip of a girl that passed by them. Jango, now so frightened that his hair had started to turn white at the roots, grimly took out his chakram: he'd deal with the girl before running away.

* * *

(With Zoro) (I'm going to step away from the 3rd person limited that's developing around Luffy when the crew fights when Luffy's not there, just so you know)

Zoro charged forward, his swords practically a part of his body as he held them. His oath to Kaya, his normal motivation, was suddenly fighting for top-spot with his awe over Luffy's display of power. The young man had decimated almost an entire crew, with _one move_! Zoro was forced to admit that he couldn't do that. _'I claim to want to be the greatest, yet I pale next to a brawler. Swordsmanship is a destructive, subtle art, and it's losing out to raw force next to Luffy. I must get stronger! I'm nowhere __**near**__ where I need to be to fight _him_! I've grown arrogant, thinking this level is sufficient! If I can't beat these guys in one move, then I'll train until I can do with one sword what I can do with three!'_ (Note: I'm slightly merging Zoro's personality with Lee's from Naruto. For the sake of our mutual sanity, it won't reach _that_ level, but I just thought that I should give a heads-up).

Siam and Butchie took the offensive. "Neko-yanagi Daikōshin" they cried, before rapidly slashing with their clawed-gloves. Zoro expertly stopped the assault cold with his swords. The two pulled away before Zoro could pull off a move. The two seemed to be discussing a new battle plan, but Zoro ignored them. Silently, he got into the stance of one of his strongest Santouryu techniques. _'Feel the power of the stance; channel the power of the blades to their fullest.'_ The world slowed as Zoro focused on the move harder than he ever had, almost _feeling_ it as a comfortable presence beside his soul.

Suddenly, Zoro realized that he _was_ feeling something within his soul. It felt alive, wild, the essence of the primal joy Zoro felt when he really let loose. _'Is this… Haki?'_ Zoro didn't question how he had discovered the force or how he knew what it was; he just added it to the stance. Zoro gently seized the feeling, as if it were an animal, and focused on nothing else except the stance, the move to come, the blades in his grip. He felt the feeling cover his entire body, making him feel jittery, but he remained still as a statue.

The partners had finished their plan, and rushed forward to deliver a combo attack that would end this man's life like it was nothing. "Tiger Hunting Prey" Zoro intoned, the words further refining his focus on the attack he would deliver. As the two came into range, their hands pulled back to deliver crippling slashes, Zoro _moved_, his blades coming down in a graceful, beautiful, yet deadly movement. In the space of a second, Zoro was behind his opponents, his swords all pointing forward. The veteran pirates seemed frozen for an instant, before their chests erupted, blood gushing out in a morbid yet artistic spray.

Zoro felt exhausted, as if he'd put his entire being into that one attack. _'I kinda did,'_ Zoro remarked to himself as he started to sheath his swords. However, to his horror, the fat one slowly got back up, seeming delirious from the blood loss, but still very much alive. "Kuso!" Zoro yelled in frustration. He _still_ wasn't strong enough! That was it; he'd dissect his style to the roots and learn it all over again. He'd go back to square one, and be all the stronger when he returned to where he was now. But that was for later; Zoro, almost sullenly, rushed forward and delivered a heavy blow to the man's head with the back of his blade. He crumbled like a disconnected puppet, leaving Zoro to recover from his short but exhausting battle.

* * *

(With Nami and Usopp)

Nami sighed in exasperation. Her fight wasn't going well. Her prediction from yesterday had been correct: she was near-useless in a fight. So far, she'd scored a few light blows on the hypnotist, and had nearly gotten her hand chopped off for her troubles. As it was, her staff was deeply nicked, and the surrogate captain of the Black Cat crew was leading the offense, his confidence growing as he realized how weak his opponent was.

'_This is why I hate pirates. If Arlong had never showed up, I wouldn't be in this situation!'_ It was at that moment that a pachinko flew through the air and noticeably hurt the hypnotist upon contact. _'Then again, pirates don't care about teaming up against someone.'_ Nami amended as she continued to try and hold off the hypnotist while the unofficial member of Luffy's crew again tried to line up the perfect shot. He only had a few 'specialty' shots, and he wanted to make sure he didn't miss.

Nami continued with her token attacks, but the outcome was clear. With a particularly strong swipe, Nami's scarred staff was knocked from her hands as she fell on her finely-toned ass. Jango grinned and whispered "You shouldn't play with pirates, girly." With that, the man pulled back to deliver the killing blow. However, he was quite suddenly and permanently interrupted as the cry of "Hissatsu: Kayaku Boshi!" A large pellet impacted with Jango's face, before the gunpowder within ignited. Jango went down with smoldering hair.

Usopp grinned. _'That's right; her head was in the way. Nice teamwork, there.'_ Nami got up, dusted herself off, and gave a small mock-salute to Usopp, before turning to face the ship. "Treasure…" she whispered, a line of drool emerging from a corner of her mouth, before she hopped across the prone bodies of Luffy's victims to the ship. The members of the crew that had survived Luffy's onslaught tried to remain unresponsive as Nami used them as stepping stones. Captain Kuro was mad, so they were going to hide like their lives depended on it, as was probably the truth.

Nami expertly pillaged the ship down to the bilges, disappointed with the lack of shiny things. "You'd think they'd have more loot than this," she muttered to herself as she returned to the deck. She turned to the sleeping behemoth that was Luffy's pet. Nami had a deep-seated fear of all large creatures that came from the sea, a result of the constant presence of Arlong's own pet. Still, this was her ride back to shore, as her well-trained eye saw that the ship was soon about to be caught in a current and float out to sea.

Nami took a deep breath, before assuming her 'Luffy' tone. "Get up, Thrasher! You take me back to land this minute or there'll be hell to pay! Got it?" Thrasher was up and at attention in seconds. Though Nami was not aware of it, she shared many characteristics with mother Sea Kings (hoarding, bossiness, the ability to bat those much stronger than her like flies, etc.) and Thrasher was having trouble telling the difference. Oddly compliant, the overgrown sea-snake took Nami back to land, as the battles on the shore came to a close.

* * *

(With Luffy)

Luffy was a bit annoyed at the moment. Despite his best efforts, Kuro wasn't a bloody stain on the ground. The guy could _move_, and while Luffy could keep up if he really worked at it, it was still kind of hard to catch the guy. Plus, those cuts were _really_ annoying. Luffy couldn't use Haki: the guy moved too fast, and he might hit his friends. He knew he could win; it was just a question of how hard this guy was going to go down.

Kuro, on the other hand, was shocked that he was being so evenly matched. His entire reign as top dog on the East Blue had been derived from three things: his plans, his claws, and his speed. However, against this boy, they were all neutralized. This was an unforeseen fight, and Kuro had no info on his opponent's abilities; strike one. The man also seemed immune to pain, as the numerous deep cuts he'd scored seemed to have no effect, whereas a lesser man would have been twitching on the ground in pain; strike two. Finally, the boy was able of keeping up with his while he used his Stealth Foot, which was an unheard-of feat; strike three. To top it all off, the guy had eaten a Devil's Fruit. The odds were less than favorable.

Kuro decided to try to psych his enemy out. "Why do you fight so hard? You've done all this to help that nobody Usopp. Why?" Luffy's gaze hardened. His voice was questioning when he answered "He's going to be a part of my crew; what other reason do I need?" Kuro scoffed, his views overriding his common sense, which was screaming that he shouldn't annoy this man. "That is stupid; a crew is merely a bunch of thugs meant to do your bidding. They are expendable, mere pawns; why should you risk yourself for one of them?"

An unhindered wave of fear crashed through Kuro when he met Luffy's eyes after that statement. For inside those normally cheerful orbs, a look of pure malice had taken residence. The ground literally shook as Luffy involuntarily unleashed a blast of Haki, yelling "**WHAT DO YOU TAKE YOUR CREW FOR?**" Kuro blacked out for a second as the spiritual onslaught his him. In that second, Luffy crossed the distance between them, his fist already pulled back. "This is for Usopp! Gomu Gomu no **PISTOL!**"

Kuro barely had time to cough up blood in surprise before he was sent flying at a rocket. As he impacted the water, a fountain fully ten yards high came up. The crew, their act forgotten at the shock of their captain's defeat, was suddenly addressed by a deceptively calm Luffy. "Get out of here," was all he said; the crew needed no more encouragement. Kuro's and Jango's highly battered yet miraculously alive bodies was saved by a brave crew member before the entire mass of pirates swam for their lives towards the rapidly disappearing form of their ship, not even paying attention to the Sea King going the other way.

As Luffy took a while to regain his breath, he found the entirety of his crew around him, including Usopp, who's pain had lessened somewhat. Luffy grinned. "Well, that was an interesting experience. But, now I'm hungry." It was true; Luffy's stomach was giving off a few impressive growls. Usopp shook his head in dull wonder. "This guy just took on Captain Kuro and about five-sixths of his crew and the first thing he thinks about is his stomach." Zoro patted him on the back in sympathy, almost causing the long-nose to collapse in newfound pain. "Welcome to the crew." Zoro said, totally unapologetic about the whiteout of pain he'd just delivered.

* * *

Once the quartet had run into Kaya on the way back, herself coming to help them after discovering the truth from a bloody Meri (no pun intended), and the crew had it easy. Kaya had the finest doctor in town treat the wounds, with a special bonus to keep them quiet; Usopp insisted on making sure his lie remained a lie. After that, the highly gracious and thankful Kaya had allowed them to all stay in her mansion while a recovering Meri supervised the construction of their new ship, which was meant to be a surprise.

It was a few, rare quiet days of relaxation among the crew. Usopp, having finally bowed to the inevitable when it came to Luffy, had started to integrate himself in the crew. The three found his lies and boisterous attitude to be a great source of entertainment, though his constant requests to become captain got a trifle annoying. Kaya, though sad, was willing to let them go, and Usopp had sworn to return one day.

Finally, on the day of their departure, the crew was given their treat. "A caravel!" Nami cried in joy as the ship was revealed to them. It was a good ship: the sails were new, the hull was sturdy, and the figurehead gave off just the same clueless innocent vibe their captain did. Meri proudly declared "This ship may be of an old design, but it will carry you far. I call it the Going Merry."

Kaya and Usopp had one last good-bye, before the man climbed onto the ship, going to join his new crew, his new life, his new destiny. As they pulled away from the island and Luffy sat perched on the figurehead, the captain had only one thing to say. "Grand Line, here we come!"

**The length is both the explanation and an apology for the late update. Marching Band Nationals are coming up and my director is plain sadistic. Hope you like it. Read. Review. Ja ne.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm not even going to make an effort with the intro, anymore. Read.**

* * *

There was a reason the gods had made Luffy dumb. Hell, they could have made the entire D line dumb just to make sure Luffy was dumb. Because Luffy was never meant to be smart enough to merit him teaching someone. The fates had decreed it. So were the thoughts of the three mere mortals stuck on the crew of a glutinous, naïve demi-god, who was secretly the craziest man on the planet.

When he had said that he was going to teach the crew how to discover and harness their Haki, they had naturally assumed that it would involve clear, concise instructions, with meditation and gentle encouragement, the whole nine yards. Haki, after all, was energy of the spirit. How foolish they were to hope for such deluded fantasies. Let us take a moment of silence to mourn the loss of three peoples' optimism and will to live.

… Okay, that was pushing it, but Usopp, Nami, and Zoro were just about ready to commit seppuku in order to escape the insanity that Luffy called 'lessons'. Almost as soon as Syrup village was out of sight, the young man had started to randomly emit large waves of Haki at his crewmates. When asked, he replied that "You guys need to get used to my Haki when I start having to fight for real. Besides, this should make finding your Haki faster."

Apart from the total lack of evidence the support the last statement, the three were shocked at the first one. Fighting _for real?!?_ What was that little episode with the Black Cat crew? The brutally honest boy/man had responded "So far, you guys have seen me use small amounts with total control, or flying off the handle. You haven't seen me use massive amounts with actual finesse yet." While small parts of their minds were simply amazed Luffy had used the word 'finesse' correctly in a sentence, the greater part of the crew's minds were stunned into silence. The guy made a point; they _hadn't_ seen control and power at the same time. The ensuing nightmares of an even stronger Luffy had plagued them for a week.

Though the crew might have been able to function whilst simultaneously piloting their first ship (Usopp had graciously painted their flag and sail for them) and dealing with constant mental battering rams, Luffy had other plans. Even as he lazed around on his 'special seat', played with Thrasher, and sent the occasional psychic tsunami at his nakama, he was ordering them with vague and inexact advice on how to access their Haki. When he saw how saying "Just think about what your dream really hard and let it out" wasn't making any progress, Luffy had taken to sneaking up on the crew while they worked and making fake attempts on their lives.

Seriously, he'd yell out "Hey!" and then sent a Gomu Gomu Pistol about an inch to the left of their head. He varied up the attacks and methods constantly, so that the crew wouldn't become used to a routine. While being interrogated/beaten within an inch of death by the irate crew members, he'd simply replied, completely unaware of his swollen lips, "The first thing people think of when they're about to die is what they really want before they lose it forever. Eventually, you guys are going to accidentally tap your Haki, and then we'll work from there."

Though his crew was considering mutiny more and more seriously the longer he kept it up, they persevered; partially so that they could actually get their Haki and make it all end, but mostly so that they could override Luffy's Haki with their own and finally make their punishments actually stick. It's a lot harder to just blow off an attempt on your life because you did something wrong when you don't have the certainty that you can just make them faint if it gets serious.

As the days rolled by and the crew adjusted to life on the Going Merry, the three 'normal' crew members, though they'd never admit that it was Luffy's psychotic method that helped, entered the mysterious ranks of those that could use Haki. Zoro was the first to really get it down, having tapped his Haki in his fight and already having a general idea of what it felt. For him, he thought of his promise to Kuina and the song of his blades radiating within his soul like a tuning fork, which gave off waves of Haki instead of sound. For Nami, she pictured sitting in Bellemere's cottage with her World Map on the wall next to Arlong's stuffed head, and simply channeled the warm, fuzzy feeling. Usopp merely imagined a parade in honor of 'The Brave Warrior, Captain Usopp' building up inside him until it exploded out into the open air.

The crew was surprised that once they actually found their Haki, using it was much easier than they anticipated. Zoro, with Usopp right behind him, had learned how to channel his Haki into his swords, making his strikes stronger, heavier, and smoother. The fact that he spent every second that he wasn't sleeping or eating training like a maniac helped. He was _really_ determined to not only catch up with Luffy, but fly above and beyond. Usopp wasn't nearly as motivated, though he did practice his marksmanship in his free moments; being spiritually assaulted by Luffy had, if not entirely curing, at least curbed his instinct to run and hide from any enemy of significant power. If he was going to be revered across the world, he had to actually fight occasionally after all. His lying was still going full blast, though.

Nami, surprisingly, had discovered a power that not even Luffy had known about. By 'saturating' the air with Haki, barely noticeable to the unaware, she was able to predict her enemy's moves almost before they made them. Though Zoro or Luffy could take her down in less than a second if they tried, she at least managed to become quite adept at dodging and finding openings. Plus, a Haki-powered slap with a shot of feminine fury could have felled better men than Luffy or Zoro.

In short, Luffy had nearly doubled the strength of his crew with their introduction to Haki; it had only cost his crew most of their sanity, and his personal safety. Trifles, really. There was also the fact that if an outsider found themselves on their boat, they would wind up unconscious within an hour; Luffy's burst of Haki, which he hadn't let up on yet, were now answered by collaborative attacks from Zoro, Nami, and Usopp. Anyone caught in the crossfire that wasn't at least as strong as a Marine Captain was doomed.

It was about two weeks after they had gotten Usopp on the crew that this theory was put to the test. Zoro was taking a power-nap after doing 2000 hand-stand push-ups after 1000 swings with both hands and his mouth, Usopp was dabbling with his mad-scientist experiments, Nami was reading the latest newspaper, and Luffy was trying to test out the cannon. Pretty soon, Usopp intervened, his duty as a marksman forbidding him from letting Luffy's atrocious aiming continue.

On a whim, Usopp let a small trickle of his own Haki, not as strong as Zoro's and nowhere near as potent as Luffy's special variety, but still the equivalent of a psychic steroid. Taking careful aim, Usopp fired at a far-off outcropping of rocks. To his immense surprise, the entire spire that he'd been aiming at crumbled into pebbles, taking down two of its brothers with it. Everyone conscious blinked in surprise, before Luffy yelled "Sugei!" at the top of his lungs and Nami resolved to be a bit nicer to Usopp from now on.

Shortly afterward, the crew took a break from their activities to have lunch, Zoro waking of his own accord. As they enjoyed the simple meal (well, as much as they could enjoy it while fending off Luffy's constant attempts to steal from their plates), and discussing the need to get an actual cook on the crew, a loud yell came from outside. "Come out, you bastards! I'm going to make you pay for trying to kill bro!" The crew blinked, before Luffy came out to see what the problem was.

A dark-skinned man with a tattoo on his cheek, in his twenties, stood on deck, clad in purple clothes and opaque shades, while he wielded a sword with moderate skill in his right hand. He seemed pissed for some odd reason, though Luffy couldn't imagine why, though his mental abilities weren't the most impressive, so maybe he should get a second opinion. The instant the man caught sight of Luffy; he jumped right at him, waving his sword wildly and screaming "Filthy pirate, I'll kill you for what you've done!"

Luffy easily dodged, but was just as easily angered when he saw how the mystery man had sliced up the railing. "I don't know who the hell you are, but DON'T HARM THE SHIP!" Luffy yelled, grabbing the man's head and throwing him across the ship, hypocritically damaging the ship as he did. Inside the cabin, Zoro perked an ear; he knew that voice. Just as the man was picking himself back up for a second pass, Zoro spoke out from the railing.

"Johnny, what are you doing here? Is Yosaku with you?" The man looked up in surprise, recognizing the voice of his former bounty hunter, and nearly choking when he saw that he was actually there. Big bro, the heartless pirate hunter, on a pirate ship? Impossible! And yet, Johnny's eyes kept stubbornly sending the message to his brain until the man was forced to accept that he was actually there.

"Big bro! What are you doing here?" Then, before Zoro could even answer, the man broke into tears and cried "Big bro, its terrible! Yosaku is terribly ill! We were resting at that outcropping, when out of nowhere we were attacked! I rowed over here for revenge, and Yosaku is probably dieing as we speak! Big bro, what do we do?" Zoro's eyes widened, Usopp, who had emerged with Nami, looked a tad guilty, and Luffy was tilting his head to the side. So, this guy had thought that they'd killed his nakama? That's why he was attacking them! Luffy instantly let the guy off the hook.

Zoro, with minimal help from the near-hysterical Johnny, hauled up the sick man from the raft attached to the side of the ship. One look would tell even the most moronic of idiots (Luffy sneezes) that the man was ill: his skin was grey and clammy, and his eyes showed only whites. While Usopp, Luffy, and Johnny were panicking, Nami bent down to take a closer look, Zoro watching curiously. She stood up and yelled at Usopp and Luffy to get the limes they had in storage. Two weeks ago, they would have complained and she'd have been forced to use her patented Demonic Glare of Death. Now, she just punctuated her words with a mild burst of Haki.

Johnny stiffened like a board, while Luffy and Usopp just realized she was serious and went to do her bidding. Almost like a dog whistle, Thrasher showed up as well, back from his light hunting trip. Johnny nearly went into apoplexy when he saw the massive Seaking, but Nami merely turned and yelled "Make yourself useful, you lazy fish! Keep this guy in the shade with your head!" By now fully convinced that Nami was a Seaking mother in disguise, as was sometimes done, Thrasher did as he was told, keeping pace with the ship in order to keep Yosaku in the shade of his giant head.

Nami spoke to Johnny, trying to break him out of his shock. "Don't worry about him; he's our captain's pet. You should be more worried about your friend. He's got scurvy. It's a disease that has claimed more pirates and sailors than anything else combined over the years. A day or two more without treatment, and he would have died." Johnny broke into fresh wailing at the news, while her two minions arrived with the precious citrus. Nami instructed them to feed the limes to Yosaku; normally, Johnny would have protested, but this chick was just plain _scary_, what with ordering around Seakings and using mysterious energies.

As Luffy and Usopp started to stupidly squeeze as many limes into the man's mouth as physically possible, Nami returned to Johnny. "You can stop crying, you know. Scurvy is merely caused by a lack of vitamin C, commonly found in citrus fruits. Before, ships didn't have a way to properly store fruit, but we've progressed from that time. Provided he takes it easy, your friend should be healthy again in a few days." Johnny made the transition from crying in sorrow to yelling at Nami in joy almost instantly.

As Nami was wiping spittle off her face, Luffy remarked how Nami was really smart for knowing this. That caused a tic mark to appear. "You idiot! This is the kind of trouble that appears when you commit yourself to a life on the sea! How could you have just blindly set out without thinking about all the dangers ahead?" Almost as soon as the words were out of Nami's mouth, she remembered who she was talking to. "You didn't, did you? Great, it's bad enough knowing your captain's an idiot; now other people do too!" Nami sank into her little dark cloud as she pictured people laughing at her as she crossed the street, recognizing her from Johnny's stories of 'the orange-head pirate who works for an idiot'. Small insects died when they entered her atmosphere of gloom.

The man in question seemed to recover shortly afterward, only to choke on the limes. Almost before they were out of his mouth, he was up in arms with Johnny, doing an odd little dance and practically screaming their joy that he hadn't died. The mood, as well as Nami's, was broken when the man fell over, once again looking ill. "No one heals that fast, baka!" she screamed, her fangs appearing.

When the irate woman managed to coordinate Yosaku into the men's quarters, the crew had a meeting in the cabin with Johnny. Said bounty hunter was extremely grateful, and was eager to help them in any way to make up for it. "Well," Usopp began the practical one under all his layers of cowardice. "Would you happen to know where we could find a cook that can fight with sea-legs? We need someone that can make a feast out of scraps, before Luffy starves us by eating all the stores in the middle of the night." All crew members sans the one mentioned glared and let out small waves of Haki, silently making Johnny weak at the knees. Their captain paid no attention to either the jibe or the Haki.

Recovering slightly, and realizing that there was something odd about the pirate crew his big bro had for some reason joined, Johnny recalled a tidbit of information he had heard. "Well, I might know just the place. Bear in mind, it's really close to the Grandline, so there's a lot of strong ruffians showing up. That man you've been looking for was even seen in the area, big bro." Zoro's response to this was to clutch one of his three blades while a wolfish smile of anticipation emerged from his features. The others seemed interested.

Always one for the melodramatic, Johnny took a pose and pointed out towards the ocean. "Go! Make a heading for North-North-East, to the fighting restaurant: Baratie!"

* * *

The trip to Baratie was uneventful, if you didn't count how many times Johnny and Yosaku passed out. The crew's near subconscious use of Haki to deal with each other, make a point, or just get attention to make an announcement had led to many interesting situations. While Luffy had already learned to nod use his Haki at every opportunity, since his was much more powerful and damaging, the crew had yet to learn this lesson. Secretly, Luffy was glad had taken to learning Haki so quickly. Maybe he should teach people stuff more often. Oddly, an incredibly sudden and powerful thunderstorm appeared after he made the thought.

Still, the crew had started to tone it down by the time they came within sight of the restaurant; they couldn't just have the locals falling unconscious because of them, could they? Best to save the psychic war for the privacy of their own ship. The ship, as was eagerly pointed out by Luffy, looked like a giant fish. It had taken the combined intervention of the crew to stop Thrasher from pouncing. The Seaking was then told, very sternly, to guard the ship but to stay under the water. Thrasher grumbled something back at Luffy, who'd replied "Aw, come on boy! It's only as long as we're around people! I promise to play with you more, but can you please just hide?" Some more grumbling, but the sulking serpent eventually submerged a comfortable distance beneath the ship.

Just as Thrasher disappeared, a Marine ship showed up out of nowhere. The apparent leader of the ship called out to them. His hair was the same shade as Coby's, though his skin was much darker, and he wore a fancy suit. His knuckles seemed to have been welded to brass knuckles made of iron, and a pretty woman in a red dress hung off his arm. He spoke with the lofty confidence of someone who arrogantly thinks he's invincible without the brawn to back it up.

"Who are you people? That's not a pirate insignia I'm familiar with." He spoke courteously enough, but the inhabitants of the ship, most notably Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku, noticed how many cannons were pointed ominously at them. The man then didn't even wait for an answer, instead turning his back to them. "Never mind, 'Iron-fist' Fullbody doesn't bother with every bunch of rabble that comes along." As he walked away, the man showed his men a closed fist with the thumb pointing downward.

Zoro rushed forward, about to cut the guys aiming a cannon at the ship, when Luffy yelled "I'll handle it!" With that, Luffy let out a targeted burst of Haki at the Marines readying the cannon; he didn't want to actually hurt them, since they might not be the total jerks their leader was. The men collapsed, one of them inadvertently adjusting the cannon so that it was pointing at the roof of the restaurant. A loud boom sounded, before a portion of the top deck of the fish-boat was blown off. Luffy rubbed the back of his head at his mistake, while the remaining Marines quietly made themselves scarce; mess with the unheard-of pirate that knocked out their guys without touching them? No, thank you very much.

Nami, as was her role, exploded at Luffy's latest idiocy. "Baka! Why didn't you just reflect the cannonball like you did with Buggy? Now the guys at the restaurant are going to blame us, since they'll never blame the Marines! If you think I'm paying to fix that, you've got another thing coming!" Luffy shrugged; he wasn't one to worry, and believed that everything was going to work out in the end.

As the crew was docking at the small quay, someone emerged from the restaurant. His chef's hat was almost as tall as himself, his right leg was a wooden peg, and his mustache was comprised of two, nearly horizontal blond braids. His eyes seemed to practically scream _'mess with me and you die,'_ which was impressive in a chubby, middle-aged cook. He turned to face the approaching crew, his eyes narrowed in irritation. "Which one of you brats is responsible for the hole in my roof?" With this question, he revealed that he was both the owner of the restaurant and appropriately pissed.

Just as Nami and Usopp tried to think up an answer that wouldn't get them killed, Luffy answered with his usual thoughtless honesty. "That's my fault. I'm very sorry about that." He bowed as he apologized, giving the chef the perfect opportunity to knock the kid on the back of his head with a powerful kick. The crew was surprised that the man had enough strength to knock someone like Luffy around, while lovable idiot in question seemed to finally notice the peg leg. "AHHHHHHHH! Did you lose your leg because of me?"

The man stomped on Luffy's back, effectively cutting off the boy's airways. "Idiot, I lost this leg years ago. However, that explosion gave me a nasty shock, and I'm getting on in years. To cover all the medical expenses and repairs, you're going to work it off here for a year." The man grinned, certain that he'd just secured a waiter that couldn't quit. Boy was he wrong.

Almost in unison, the crew stepped forward, drawing the man's gaze. They responded by letting out small bursts of Haki. The man raised an eyebrow, but reacted in no other way, proving that he was indeed strong. Then, Luffy joined in. "I'm sorry about your roof, really, but I can't afford to work here for a year." Luffy's Haki joined the simmering waves his nakama were sending.

The man, surprising them all, responded by kicking Luffy full in the face, sending him into the arms of his crew. "I'm surprised that a bunch of kids like you can use Haki, but don't think that excuses you from working here. You're going to work here, whether you like it or not." With that, the man turned and reentered the restaurant. Luffy stared after him, before saying "If that ossan could stand up to that, even if we weren't trying to hurt him, then he's not someone to mess with."

Usopp exclaimed "But Luffy, you can't actually stay here for a year!" Luffy looked back at his marksman, and grinned in such a way to send shivers up everyone's spines except Zoro's, who was merely pitying the poor, unfortunate souls that had just been saddled with his captain. "Don't worry; I'm going to be so horrible at whatever job they give me that they'll be begging me to leave by the end of the week! In the meantime, you guys try to convince one of the cooks to join us!"

With that Luffy entered the restaurant, followed swiftly by his crew, as well as Johnny and Yosaku. The place was really high-class, with marble and candles and soft music in the background. Almost immediately after entering, the man from before grabbed Luffy by the collar and dragging the oddly compliant boy away. Just as the crew started looking for a table, figuring they'd eat while they were there, another blond showed up out of nowhere. This one was around their own age, maybe a year older. His bangs covered his left eye, and his face was otherwise unremarkable. He wore a black suit over a blue shirt, with shiny shoes and creased pants.

In one hand, he held a rose, which he proffered to Nami as he got down on one knee. "Thank you, oh goddess of the sea, for arranging this meeting today! For I have met the most beautiful gem you have ever yielded upon a mere man! My love, you are as radiant as the sun! Allow me to adore you as you enjoy the meal I shall lovingly cook for you!" At this point, hearts had replaced his visible eye, and his legs were doing some odd wiggling thing.

The men of the group were a tad overwhelmed at this display of adoration, though Nami seemed to take it in her stride. Who said that being beautiful didn't get you anywhere? The man led them to a large table, where he proceeded to give Nami a rare vintage and wait on her hand and foot, completely ignoring the men. A few minutes, a truly magnificent feast was set out in front of them. Luffy, wearing a white apron had been the one to deliver it, so there was a bite missing from nearly every dish, as would have been expected.

The blond apparently noticed, and did something that shocked everyone who knew Luffy: he kicked him hard enough to leave a mark. As the crew knew from long (gleeful) experience, it took enough manpower to crush stone to get even a light bruise to appear on Luffy's rubber skin. This guy was not just a good cook, but apparently a strong one. Nami cupped the man's cheek, turning him into an obedient ball of love once again. "My, my, you must be strong to leave a mark on my captain there," she said seductively, indicating the slightly-steaming form of Luffy, who was picking himself up off the ground. "The food's delicious as well. Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

The man responded, his mouth in a weird pout, "My beloved angel, you care to know the name of a lowly cur such as myself? Your beauty is only matched by your kindness!" At this remark, the men of the crew couldn't contain a scoff, earning them each a brief death glare from the cook. "My name, my most lustrous pearl, is Sanji, the Assistant Head Chef! How I long to shake off the shackles of my position to sail the world with such a flower as yourself! Sadly, there is a great obstacle in our path, an obstacle that might never be breached!"

From behind him, the owner spoke up, where he'd been the whole time. "So, I'm an obstacle am I, lil' eggplant?" Sanji's face morphed into a grimace, before standing up and facing the man. "What is it, old man?" he asked, only to be bonked on the head by the older man's hat. "That's owner Zeff to you, you punk! So, you want to go off after some random woman. Far be it from me to stop you! You're always getting into fights, you flirt with any moderately attractive woman, and your cooking sucks!"

That last one, more than anything, seemed to rile up Sanji, whose hands clenched into fists. Before the blond could respond, Nami sent a glare at the old man. "Oi, leave him alone. I was just about to snag him as our crew's chef!" As she said this, she let loose a tad of Haki, to show her frustration, causing the poor couple behind the man to faint. The man regarded her, and grimaced. "I have no problem with you taking this annoying lil' eggplant off my hands, but could you please refrain from harming my customers?"

Before Nami could snap back at the patronizing tone, or Sanji could beat the man up for talking to a woman so rudely, the doors were flung open. Everyone turned to see the new arrival. He was thin, almost unhealthily so and there were bags under his eyes. He wore a jacket with a serpent design on the back over a dark green shirt and pants, all of them dirty and tattered. He looked like he'd been through hell and emerged out the other end. In one hand, he held a pistol.

Silence reigned over the restaurant. The man walked over to an empty table, and sat down in a chair, his feet on the table. He spoke, his voice a dry rasp. "I don't care what it is; just get me something to eat." An uneasy murmuring broke out among the patrons of the establishment, anxious about the aura of danger around the man. The Straw-hats realized that he must have been a prisoner on the Marine ship. If so, Thrasher should be allowed to play with them; the man was obviously starving.

A large man, nearly bald, with the fakest smile known to man appeared from thin air by the man, his gigantic arms crossed in a gesture of graciousness. "Welcome, mere bastard!" the man said, with nothing but cheesy compliance in his voice. If the guy was a waiter, he would probably sell to Lucifer himself if he had the money. So saying, "Do you have any money to pay for your meal?" the burly cook asked, that freaky-ass smile still on his face.

The starving man aimed at the cook's head. "Do you take steel?" he asked, obviously used to intimidation tactics. The cook's smile turned into a sneer within nanoseconds. With no forewarning, the man swept the chair out from under the pirate. As the starving man fell to the ground, the cook whirled the chair above his head and brought it down quite heavily on the man's back.

Luffy knew that there was a time and a place for recklessness, and this wasn't it. Nami had seen worse, Zoro didn't particularly care, and Usopp was terrified of the man's obvious strength, hence the lack of intervention on their part. Still, they could glare, and if looks could kill, the cook would be cozying up to Davy Jones right now. With aplomb, the cook picked up the pirate and threw him out the doors, to the applause of the customers.

Zeff muttered under his breath "Patty, you continue to disappoint me," before returning to the kitchens. Sanji disappeared, and the crew was left to eat their meal, though with much less of an appetite. Luffy exited the restaurant, looking to check up on the man. To his mild surprise, Sanji was already there, laying a plate of food in front of the pirate. The man seemed shocked at the display of kindness, while Sanji merely leaned against the railing and lit a cigarette. "Oi, eat it. You must be hungry."

The man was starting to tear up as the aroma of the food hit his nostrils, but he turned away. "This is worse than being kicked out; I won't accept pity! My pride as a man and as a pirate won't let me. Take it away!" Sanji merely repeated his command, taking a puff on the sweet tobacco. The pirate's will crumble, and he started to eat like a starving dog. As he ate, his tears broke free, flowing freely down his face. "Delicious, delicious, it's too delicious! I've never had anything this good," he admits through his full mouth, trying to hide his tears. Sanji merely grins.

Luffy sits on the railing beside Sanji. "You're a pretty nice guy, to feed him even though he couldn't pay. You're pretty strong too, if you could mark me like that. I'm stuck working here for now, but the mustache-ossan is going to let me go eventually. Why don't you join my crew?" Sanji looks up incredulously at Luffy, who merely waits for a reply. He had made his request; he was going to wait for an answer, and then nag until the answer was yes if it was a no.

"Not a chance, waiter-boy. That beauty of yours is amazing, but death itself couldn't drag me from this restaurant. That old fart needs me, whether he'll admit it or not. Besides, I have no interest in being a pirate." Sanji blew the smoke cloud in Luffy's face, causing the young pirate to start coughing. The starving man, now full, turns to face Luffy. "You're a pirate, aren't you?" Luffy, still coughing, nods his head. The man asks, with polite curiosity, "Where are you headed?" Luffy reclaims his breath and answers "The Grandline," as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Sanji raised an eyebrow, but the man seemed to almost choke in shock. "Take that back. You don't want to go there. You can't imagine the horrors in that wretched ocean." Luffy blinks, wondering what the man means by that, but he turns away from Luffy. "Forget it, do what you want. I just hope you don't fear death." So saying, the man stands up and quickly 'procures' a raft. As he prepares to leave, he turns to face Sanji. "My name is Gin, of the Don Kreig Pirates. I thank you for the meal, but I must leave."

Sanji merely nods, and when Zeff appears on the upper deck, doesn't react at all. He just picks up the dirty dishes and tosses them into the ocean. Gin is shocked by this display, while Luffy merely becomes that much more determined to get this cook on his crew. Sanji waves Gin off, before turning to return to his work, leaving behind the approving chef and obstinate freak of nature.

* * *

Three days had passed since the crew had arrived, and Luffy was making fair progress with both his goals. He had, to date, broken 37 plates, messed up 17 orders, set fire to the kitchen twice, and had 'accidentally' broken holes in the floor thrice. Zeff was about ready to tear his mustaches out, since none of his formidable kicks seemed to greatly affect the rubber boy. Meanwhile, in collaboration with Nami, Sanji was placed under a constant barrage to recruiting attempts. His duty to Zeff and by proxy the restaurant was strong, but one could only take so much of Luffy's infamous whining.

Zoro, Usopp, and Nami, in the meantime, spent their time learning how to keep their Haki under control. Having learned how to use it, and gone on a binge for a little while, they were having trouble exerting the same level of self-control that Luffy did. Of course, it was that very thought that had galvanized them into action; Luffy, having more self-control than them? It was a sign of the apocalypse. During the three-day period, Nami came across Johnny and Yosaku's stack of wanted posters, reminding her uncomfortably of her subterfuge.

Thrasher was fed on scraps by Luffy, and helps to scare away the customers by appearing as an ominous shadow right beside their boats. Zeff was surprised that the kid had a pet _Seaking_ of all things, but just chalked it up to being one more thing on the list of peculiarities about this particular group of kids. Armed with Haki, obviously skilled, alongside a docile sea monster; he almost felt impressed.

On the third day, an unnatural fog enveloped the area, making it hard to see your hand in front of your face. Luffy was taking out the garbage as Usopp called out to him from the Going Merry. "Luffy, how much longer do we have to wait here? Nami gets off free because of that ero-cook, but we've got to pay for everything. When do we get out of here?" Luffy merely grinned and gave Usopp a thumbs-up. That gesture alone was enough to soothe Usopp; Luffy really was an amazing guy, once you accepted that he was a hopeless idiot.

As Luffy turned to reenter the Baratie, he paused. His head turned to face the mist, his expression unreadable. Zoro seemed to tense up at the same time. Usopp and Nami looked around in confusion, wondering what had set the powerhouses of the crew on edge. Out of the mist, the shadow of an enormous galleon emerged, cloaked in shadow and the mist. Only one thing stood out: the pirate flag hung high on its mast. From within, one of the few early-morning customers cried out "Run for your lives! That's the flag of Don Kreig, King of East Blue! The hourglasses on the flag show that our time has come! Run, I say, RUUUUUUUUUNNNNNN!"

Luffy was nearly thrown off the deck into the ocean as every customer fled in a mad dash to their boats, desperate to get as far away as was possible from the terror of East Blue. Within, Patty's best friend Carne could be heard yelling at the dumbstruck man. "Look what you've done! You insulted one of Kreig's pirates and now he's taking revenge!" Patty, through trembling lips, managed to sputter out "B-b-but it makes no sense! Why would a man with an armada of fifty ships come all the way here for just one man?" Luffy entered the restaurant, to see every single chef in the place out and cowering.

Sanji appeared, taking a drag from his latest cig. "That ship's awfully damaged, wouldn't you say?" he asked, making everyone in hearing distance pause. The mist cleared a bit and Sanji's statement proved true; the ship seemed as if a gigantic beast had torn at the ship with its massive claws. Everyone who knew of Kreig's reputation gaped; what could do this to the most feared man in East Blue, the master of subterfuge and betrayal, Don Kreig?

Luffy waited by the sidelines, waiting for what was going to happen to happen. Sanji and Zeff were in similar modes of calm, while the rest of the staff started muttering in fear among themselves, with Patty the object of more than a few glares. Slowly, heavy footsteps could be heard outside the doors. They were opened, to reveal an interesting sight. A giant of a man, wearing beach clothes alongside clashing gloves and a thick cape, was leaning on Gin, looking as if he wasn't fully there.

The giant, evidently Don Kreig, collapsed to the floor, Gin following him, looking like a puppy when he finds his master sick and injured. The man spoke into the floor. "Please… please give me food… I don't care if it's scraps… I have lots of money… I beg of you, I can't remember the last time I ate something." The cooks were shocked at the sight of such a fearsome pirate begging for food, while Sanji silently made his way to the kitchen.

Patty walked forward, all his arrogant bluster returned. "Feed you? Don't make me laugh! Someone call the Marines; they'll never get another chance like this!" Gin looks up, his eyes broadcasting so much disgust and loathing that the potted plants in the room wilt a little. "You bastard! We've got money this time! Doesn't that make us customers?" Patty, ever the hypocrite, went into a prepared speech about how pirates don't count, and that scum didn't deserve the scraps from the garbage can. He would of continued, but Sanji kindly imploded his face for him.

Patty crumbled like a house of cards, while Sanji strode forward and placed a huge bowl of fried rice and a bottle of wine in front of Kreig, who began to eat with just as much eagerness as Gin had a few days before. Carne yelled out "Sanji, what the hell are you doing? Don't you know who that is? IF you feed him, he's going to take over the ship or something! This guy has no remorse! How could you just give food to a heartless pirate?"

Sanji didn't get a chance to answer, as he was suddenly socked right in the face by the now energized Kreig, who was roaring in triumph. Gin looked shocked, as if he hadn't expected Kreig to bite the hand that fed him. Kreig took his gloves off, revealing his diamond knuckles. "That food's as good as my subordinate said it was." The man pointed to his ship. "There are about a hundred men still alive on my ship. Give me the food, and I'll give you a chance escape before I steal this here boat of yours." Gin looked horrified. "Don, that's not what you promised," he yelled, only to be cowed into submission by one glare from Kreig.

Kreig turned to face the cooks, his face showing the mad fox beneath. "I like this ship of yours; it's the perfect disguise. With this, I'll be able to pull off much more ambushes. Now start cooking those meals if you want to live!" The cooks protested loudly, proclaiming their pride as fighters. Sanji, however, merely got up and made his way to the stairs to the kitchen. Carne asked "Oi, Sanji; where are you going." Sanji replied tonelessly "To the kitchens, of course. We've got a hundred meals to cook, after all."

Everyone froze, unable to believe Sanji's apparent 'betrayal', though oddly enough, Luffy understood why he did it almost easily. That's the benefit of being an idiot; things that should be complex seem awfully simple. As the cooks pulled out giant utensils out of nowhere, brandishing them threateningly, Sanji merely spread his arms. He said "We are cooks of the sea. It doesn't matter if they're a devil or a saint; if a man appears before us with a rumbling tummy; it is our duty to make sure he is fed. Isn't that enough for a chef?"

The wise remark would have worked on any man with a shred of compassion, but Patty had always had a deficit in that area. He knocked Sanji down with one blow to the head. "Sanji, I know that you feed the people I throw out, and maybe that's the right thing sometimes. But you can't just feed a bunch of pirates! This is Baratie; we've dealt with plenty of pirates in our time." He turns to face Kreig, pulling large cannon from a secret compartment. "So, you like the meal, did you? Well, why don't you stick around for dessert? Meatball of Doom!"

Patty pulled the trigger, unleashing sound and destruction. A giant dust cloud obscured the door. Luffy wasn't fooled; in his experience, the arrogant fools always stuck around like cockroaches. Patty wasn't as wise, and started to make a victory speech. Then, Kreig spoke, causing the celebrating cooks to nearly piss themselves. "Is that what you call dessert? It tastes terrible!" The cloud dispersed revealing an unharmed Kreig, who was ripping off his beach shirt to reveal the thick, gold armor underneath. "With this Wootz Steel armor, the greatest weapons, and the most men, I'm invincible. I am the only pirate worthy of the title Don! Now pay for your insolence!"

Kreig pulled out twin pistols, while cannons emerged from his armor. Barely giving his targets the time to widen their eyes, Kreig opened fire. Several cooks went down with wounds, though most of them weren't fatal. Luffy, Sanji, and a few others remained completely unhurt, either due to blind luck or circumstances of fate. Kreig was practically foaming at the mouth, yelling about how he was the unquestionable greatest, not noticing what was approaching until it was right in front of him. Zeff dropped a giant sack in front of Kreig, saying "Here's food for a hundred; go feed your men."

Luffy raised an eyebrow, while the staff of the Baratie nearly had strokes. Their own owner, giving into this maniac. Kreig, instead of being thankful, seemed like he had seen a ghost. "You," he whispered, almost as if he were talking to himself. "You're Red Leg Zeff, aren't you? The fearsome pirate captain that was also the ship's cook. The man that was called Red Leg because his shoes were stained with the blood of his enemies." Around this point, Kreig regained his composure. "Seems that those days are over."

Zeff shrugged. "I've chosen the life of a cook; I'm through with piracy." Kreig laughed and yelled at Zeff that he hadn't chosen; losing his leg had chosen for him. Luffy and Sanji glared at that; Sanji for the man disrespecting the man that had saved his life, Luffy just because the man had assumed Zeff couldn't fight with only one leg. That was a bold-faced lie; the man could cook better than Sanji on a bad day.

Kreig got a sick grin on his face. "You survived a year in the Grandline. You must have kept a journal of your journey. Give it to me; I need it. Armed with your knowledge, I shall conquer the Grandline." Zeff turned his back on Kreig. "It is true I have the log, but I won't give it to someone to you; it's the pride of my crew. Why would you even need it, Mr. Couldn't-last-a-week-in-the-Grandline?"

Fearful muttering; not even Don Kreig could have handled the Grandline? Kreig grimaced. "That was a fluke. I had the men, the power, the fleet; the only thing I lacked was knowledge. I was arrogant and believed I could take on that monstrous sea without strategy. However, your log must explain what method you used to survive their. Give it to me; I need it to become the Pirate King!"

Luffy frowned; say what now? He stepped forward, speaking for the first time since this whole thing started. "I don't know who you are, but the man who's going to be the Pirate King is me!" Luffy punctuated his statement with a steady flow of Haki. That was the thing about Haoushoku; with normal Haki, it was one quick burst, the only variable the size and strength. With the King's Disposition, Luffy was capable of releasing a continuous stream; fitting, since a King needed a certain aura to intimidate his unruly subjects.

Kreig seemed vastly uncomfortable with the Haki, while Gin was choking on his spit, but he managed to cover it up with his usual bluster. "You, the Pirate King? I'll ignore that comment kid, cause the man who'll be the Pirate King is definitely me!" Current score: Luffy 1, Kreig 1. Zoro spoke up from the stairs. "Yo, Luffy, you need our help with this guy?" Everyone turned their attention to him, only to find a bloodthirsty warrior, eager for the fight to come, but keeping himself calm in the meantime. Beside him stood the slightly trembling Usopp, though the man had his slingshot out, so that was a good sign. "We can t-take on any guy you want, Luffy! No one can stand up to the invincible Usopp!"

Luffy 2, Kreig 1. Kreig decided to back off and focus on the immediate problem. "I don't have time to deal with you kids." The man picked up the sack, turning to leave, but not without some parting words. "I'm going to feed my men. Anyone still around when I get back is as good as dead. I'll be expecting that log." With that, the crook left, going to feed his lackeys, leaving Gin behind to the tender mercies of Baratie. Such a lucky guy, right?

Gin was practically prostrate. "I am so sorry for all of this! This isn't what he said he'd do; he was supposed to just take the food and leave you in peace!" Zeff didn't seem particularly phased by this. He turned to his cooks and said "IF anyone of you doesn't have the courage to stay and fight, I will certainly not hold it against you." His men were stunned, but didn't even need to think. This was their home, the place that hadn't taken them in when they were drifting alone. They would show Kreig the power of the Baratie's fighting cooks!

Gin watched with something very near approaching horror. He screamed at them how they were throwing their lives away, that the Don was unbeatable. Sanji silenced him. "Gin, it is my duty as a cook to ensure all men are fed. However," he said, flipping a nearby table upright with one movement of his leg. "Now that they're fed, I have no obligation to them. If anyone so much as breathes wrong at this restaurant, I'll kill them." Sanji glared to get his point across. Gin gulped.

The man seemed to close in, muttering to himself "It's that damn ocean's fault!" Luffy perked up, remembering a few crucial details he'd missed "Oi! Gin! You've been to the Grandline, right? What's it like?" Ah, Luffy; always capable of childlike excitement at any moment of danger. Gin looked at him with hollow eyes. "Do yourself a favor; abandon that dream of yours. You have your whole life ahead of you; you shouldn't throw it away in that place!" Gin was curled up into a ball by now. "An armada of fifty ships and 5000 men, all taken down by storms and a single man!"

Everyone was shocked at that; one man? Gin continued. "I thought it was a nightmare! All my mates, thousands of men strong, obliterated within minutes. All by that beast, that man! The man with the eyes of a hawk!" Zoro tensed at that. His hand unconsciously went to his sword. Zeff spoke up at this point, saying "If what you say is true, those eyes practically confirm it. That was Juraquille Mihawk; the literal world's greatest when it comes to swordsmanship. Maybe you guys interrupted his nap. Stuff like that happens in the Grandline: killing people over little things."

Before anyone could comment further, an almighty splitting sound filled the air, as if the world's largest plank of wood had been snapped in half. A few went to the windows, but most went outside, to come across the most unbelievable sight they'd ever witnessed: Don Kreig's ship had been sliced in half! There was no other word for it; it was cut down the middle as if whatever deity was out there had dropped a guillotine over the ship. However, the Straw-hat crew noticed something much more personal concerning them: the Going Merry was gone!

"Big bro!" Johnny yelled, dragging Yosaku on board while Zeff barked quick commands to ensure they wouldn't sink. "Big bro, it was horrible. We were just standing around when big sis hit us with that Haki thing you told us about. The next thing we know, she's sailing away in the ship! She's stolen your ship!" The crew simultaneously yelled out "NANI!!!" While Zoro started to mutter darkly how he'd never trusted the woman, and Usopp freaked out about Kaya's ship being stolen from them, Luffy seemed oddly calm. "Oi, Oi, big bro Luffy! Why do you seem so uncaring?" Johnny spit/screamed.

"Because. Thrasher isn't here." The crew were surprised, but discovered that the shadow that had marked Thrasher had disappeared. "He wouldn't be scared off by whatever happened to that ship. So, he must have gone with Nami. That means that Thrasher believes that whatever Nami is doing, she's doing it for a very good reason." Zoro muttered darkly how the fish could just be following her in fear. Luffy stubbornly shook his head. "Thrasher trusts her, and I trust Thrasher. I want you to go after her, but don't assume anything; give her a chance to explain." Zoro and Usopp were reminded _why_ the captain was Luffy. Obediently, they started to prepare Johnny and Yosaku's raft.

Zoro quickly stopped, however, when he caught sight of an approaching boat. It was small, shaped like a coffin, with lit candles at each vertex, oddly green in color. It was the man sitting in the boat that caused Zoro to freeze. An intoxicating mixture of anticipation, battle-lust, and awe raced through his veins as he laid eyes on the man he'd set off to sea for in the first place. The man wore a trench coat, black outside, red inside, over his bare chest and simple pants. His face was shaded by a feathered hat, but his yellow eyes seemed to pierce right through the darkness, like floodlights in the night. On his back, the biggest sword anyone had seen hung in a harness, the steel black as midnight, the cross-guard as long as an arm and dripping with jewels. "That's him, that's Mihawk," Zoro muttered to himself, alerting those that heard him of who the man was.

One of Kreig's men, revitalized by Zeff's food, yelled out "You bastard! Why did you chase after us? Why did you hunt us down all the way back here?" Mihawk regarded the random pirate, before replying in a dry tone, "For fun; I was bored." The pirate sputtered at the reason, unable to believe that this demon in human's flesh had taken down the entirety of Kreig's fleet for such a stupid reason. Enraged, he aimed a pistol at the man's head and fired.

Only a few caught what happened in that instant. Mihawk, with effortless grace, drew his sword and, in a lightning-quick movement that looked easy when he did it, deflected the bullets with the tip of his sword. The pirate glanced down at his gun, wondering what had happened, as his aim had been true. Zoro appeared behind the pirate, eager for a fight. "I've never seen such style with a blade; to be able to deflect bullets is admirable." Mihawk turned his gaze to Zoro, who did not so much as flinch as the infamous eyes regarded him.

"But of course; without subtlety and grace, a sword is naught but an iron bar." The man spoke off-hand, as if he did this every day; hell, he probably did. Zoro gripped his swords, drawing the attention of Kreig's men, who started whispering fearfully when they saw the infamous Pirate Hunter Zoro was in their midst. "I set out to sea to face you one day, and claim your title. Fight me now, as a swordsman."

Mihawk regarded him icily. "Pitiful weakling. You might have some skill in this sea, but remember that it is the weakest of the five. You fail to understand how large the world is. Why should I waste my time with you?" Zoro drew his swords, getting into his Santouryu, his eyes blazing with determination, not a drop of fear anywhere in his stance. Mihawk chuckles to himself. In an instant, Mihawk was on the same platform broken from Kreig's ship as Zoro. "As you wish; I will end your life for you."

Zoro glared, only to become furious when, instead of drawing his sword, Mihawk revealed a small knife hidden in a necklace he wore. Mihawk grinned. "Unfortunately, this is the smallest blade I own." Zoro charged, yelling out "DON'T TAKE ME LIGHTLY! ONI GIRI!" Zoro let loose with his trademark attack, all his strength and every drop of Haki he could muster behind the blow; he would show this man how wrong he was.

Mihawk merely darted forward with his knife, completely immobilizing Zoro. Everyone stared in shock; Zoro's unstoppable Oni Giri halted by a toy knife. Johnny and Yosaku cried out it must be a trick; Luffy watched on, aware of how important this fight was to Zoro. Zoro himself was dumbfounded. "There's no way I'm this far away!" he cried out, staring unbelievably at the point where all three of his swords were stuck fast by one puny knife. Mihawk, on the other hand, seemed loftily confident, if a little curious about something; probably the Haki.

Then, it happened; Mihawk's arm bent. It was barely an inch, but it proved that Zoro's attack had gotten through, it only barely. That was all Zoro needed; if he could knock him back an inch, he could knock him back another. In a blinding flurry, Zoro pulled away before unleashing a frenzy of his best attacks, all his dreams, ambitions, training, and the gift of his captain, Haki, coming out in an unquenchable tide. Mihawk blocked each attack with simple, efficient movements, but his eyes showed disbelief. _'Such ferocious swordplay! And the boy uses Haki!_ _What makes him fight so fearlessly?'_

Zoro was gone; in his place was a raving beast, a monster that would never stop, even in the face of death, until it got what it wanted. He cared not for the fact that all his assaults were blocked; he just continued on with another. It was an awe-inspiring sight; the unstoppable force of Zoro's Santouryu, meeting the immovable object of Mihawk's skill. The chefs and pirates watched and felt wonder; they had never seen a fight like this. Johnny, Yosaku, and Usopp cheered on, while Luffy just looked on, pride in his eyes as he watched his first mate. Sanji was amazed that the marimo kept going on relentlessly, even when it was obvious he wasn't going to win; Zeff's expression was unreadable.

Finally, Zoro overextended. He pulled back for another attack, leaving an opening. Mihawk exploited it, darting forward like quicksilver, embedding the knife in Zoro's chest. Johnny and Yosaku had to be restrained by Luffy, before a quick flare of Haki left them limp in his arms. Luffy glared at their barely-conscious bodies; it was Zoro's fight, by god, and no one was going to interfere! Mihawk looked into Zoro's eyes, which held a resignation that the man had never seen before. "Why do you not pull back" the master asked.

Zoro responded "I don't honestly know. I just feel that if I step back, even once, then all the promises, deals, and many other things till now; all of it will be meaningless." Mihawk replied "Yes, and that's called defeat. If you don't retreat, you'll die." Zoro glared right into the man's eyes, something few had ever done. "Death would be better!" Zoro spat, the Haki leaving his exhausted body without conscious effort as he spoke. Mihawk withdrew the knife, putting it away. "Boy, tell me your name." Zoro got into his final stance, preparing himself for one last attack. "Roronoa Zoro!"

Mihawk grinned. "I'll take care to remember that. As an honor from one swordsman to another, my black sword, the greatest in the world, shall take your life." So saying, Mihawk drew the massive blade, holding it was all the grace and power of a mighty dragon. In that same context, Zoro was a phoenix, fighting ferociously for what it believed in, never accepting death, coming back time and time again, stronger than ever. Zoro started to spin the swords in his hand. "Santouryu Ougi: Sanzen Sekai!" Zoro yelled as Mihawk dashed forward, condensing everything that he believed in, what he fought for, the core of his being, into a single attack, the very power of his soul and will overflowing into his blades.

The attacks clashed in an invisible instant. Mihawk was now behind Zoro. Zoro retained his stance from his attack, the world holding its breath as it and the people watching awaited the outcome. The swords in Zoro's hands shattered, and numerous cuts appeared across his body. Unseen by anyone, hidden by his hat, a small scratch mars Mihawk's cheek. The man grins; he has found a true swordsman. Zoro calmly sheathed his Kuina's sword, the Wado Ichimonji, before turning and barring his chest to Mihawk. He looks up, no fear or hesitation in his eyes. "A blow to the back is a swordsman's shame," was all he said, looking into the calm, approving eyes of Mihawk.

"Very true," the man responds, before bringing his blade down in a slice that cut Zoro's chest wide open. "!" came the universal cry from the Straw-hat Crew. Johnny and Yosaku dived in the water, desperate to save their big bro. Sanji, who had watched incredulously, yelled "Baka! It's simple, to abandon your dream!" No one hears him over Luffy's anger. "**I'LL KILL YOU!**" Luffy yells, Haki pouring off of him in waves, making many of the chefs and pirates fall over, unconscious and foaming at the mouth, even though they were at the very fringes. Luffy leaps forward, his fist flying forward at Mihawk, stunned into stillness by the shock of Luffy's spirit. Usopp is not idle; a courage he has never known wells up from within, and suddenly he has his slingshot lined up with Mihawk, and his is stuffing the lead ball in his grip with every ounce of Haki he can muster.

Zeff and Mihawk unknowingly think the same thing. _'To react so, when they see their crewmate injured this badly!'_ Mihawk barely dodges Luffy's punch, the man sailing by him to impact with a wooden wall, which he plows through like it isn't there, his hand coming back to latch onto the platform before he drowns. Usopp fired, causing the floor beneath Mihawk to crumble into dust, unbalancing the man. Luffy flies forward like a shot from a pistol, this time making contact with his fist, sending Mihawk flying; all his skill rendered useless against Luffy's rage.

Mihawk crashes down on a piece of Kreig's boat that had already managed to float that far. He has traversed the entire length of the restaurant by the force of a single man's fist. Usopp lines up his aim again, as Luffy prepare another blow; their only thought _'This guy's going to pay.'_ Usopp had grown close to Zoro, seeing him as a kind of lazy, scary cousin that he was forced to live with. They didn't get along well, but Usopp's first instinct was to avenge him, so it must have counted for something. Luffy needed no such reason; Zoro was his nakama. This man had hurt Zoro. It was as simple as that.

Mihawk spoke up, feeling impressed for the first time in what felt like forever. "You are a good crew, to attack so fiercely for you crewmate. But, you need not avenge him; he is not dead." Usopp and Luffy pause, turning to look at Zoro, only to find that he is indeed alive, dragged to the raft by Johnny and Yosaku. As they watch, Zoro shakily unsheathes his one remaining sword. "Never again," they hear, Zoro's voice faint but full of emotion. Unashamed tears fall from Zoro's eyes as he proclaims for the world to hear "Until I face you again, I will never lose! I will not lose again until I face you once more! I'm going to become the world's greatest! GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT, CAPTAIN?"

Luffy shook his head. "I wouldn't expect anything less." A smile adorns Luffy's face, now that his rage has evaporated at seeing Zoro still alive. Mihawk speaks up, drawing the attention of everyone. "Roronoa Zoro! Train harder, harder than you ever have! Surpass your limits, surpass ME!" Zeff whispers to himself, only Sanji hearing him. "For Hawk-eye Mihawk to say such words; this crew is destined for greatness."

Mihawk regards Luffy as Usopp, his former cowardice emerging, ducks down and busies himself with preparing the raft to chase Nami. "You, boy, what is your ambition." Luffy looks back, an even greater determination that Zoro's burning from within his soul. "Pirate King!" Mihawk chuckles. "That is a hard road, harder even than the one your young friend has chosen. You have earned my respect; I pray we meet again." With that, Mihawk jumps to his boat.

Of course, some idiot which shall remain unnamed (hint: he has purple hair and is obviously as obsessed with weapons as Tenten from Naruto). "Oi, Hawk-eyes! Didn't you come here for my head, the head of the fearsome Don Kreig?" Shoot, he named himself; there goes the suspense. Mihawk regarded the man with his piercing, dead gaze, which had now returned. "I might have come here for that, but I've had more than my fill of excitement for today. I think I shall return to my home and nap." Kreig yells out in rage, not even caring as the few conscious members of his crew beg him to stop. As he opened fire on Mihawk, the swordsman could be heard hearing "A true fool."

There was an explosion of sound and water, and suddenly Mihawk had disappeared, as if he'd never been. Luffy's arm came out of the blast, stunning the few still conscious who didn't know about his powers. As Luffy got back on the Baratie, Usopp yelled out to him as he, the injured Zoro, and the two bounty hunters took off. "Luffy, we're off to get Nami! Be sure to bring that cook with you when we meet up!" Luffy grins and gives the thumbs-up.

"Oi, ossan, if I take down Kreig for you, can I leave this place?" Zeff regarded the grinning rubberman, before looking down at the prostrate forms of his staff. "Doesn't look like I have much choice, do I? Do what you want." Luffy grinned, the strongest of Baratie (Zeff, Sanji, a few anonymous cooks, and oddly Patty and Carne) behind him as he turned his gaze on Kreig, with his guns and crew. "With pleasure."

**

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I considered continuing on and cramming the rest of the ark into this chapter, but I figured that would be insane. So, please enjoy, tell me if I'm making the crew too super-powerful, and basically… review. Hope you loved it! Ja ne!**


	4. Chapter 4

**There have been some comments that I am merely going to retell Oda's One Piece with a slight variation. COME ON PEOPLE, YOU THINK THAT I'M THAT STUPID? Might I remind everyone that this fic has less than five chapters? I'm starting out with semi-basic canon so everyone can get a feel; the real changes come later. I'm not saying the crew's going on a different path in the Grandline; there's still Arabasta and Skypiea and all that, but there's going to be major plot twists. Be patient, readers! On with the fic. **

**P.S. I know that I'm making it so each arc is a one-shot. Don't worry, that's not going to happen forever. But, this is how I see it: Luffy and his crew, with the magical power of Haki, are already in the 'Grandline' league, so I don't really feel like making so much effort to impress how massively awesome they are, only to have them lose to guys that would be eaten by Enel or CP9 for breakfast.**

**P.P.S. They're not invincible. I'm just waiting for the appropriate enemy to lose against.**

* * *

Luffy gazed around. The sea. How he loved the sea. It was both the one thing that could hurt him and the one thing he could never part from. God, it was just so beautiful. Full of possibilities too; adventures just like his or completely different, yet they all happened on the sea. Such was the workings of Luffy's mind as he lazed about, waiting for lunch.

The fight with Kreig hadn't been long. Hell, it was a joke. Sanji took on the freaky shield guy, but Luffy had taken on everyone else, without breaking a sweat: one pulse of Haki and what remained of the lackeys were down. Kreig had of course pulled every trick he had out, but it didn't really work out; bullets didn't pierce, he completely ignored the spikes with his massive pain tolerance, and that poison bomb he'd prepared near the end had been stopped before it started. That spear had been a pain, but Luffy had countered with an odd power of Haki: he could delay or redirect explosions. He wasn't really good at it, and wound up with a few burns, but he managed to take it down.

Of course, there was the net. As Kreig was collapsing under Luffy's unforgiving fists, he'd flamethrower-ed the rubber boy and thrown an iron net out of nowhere, sending Luffy into the sea. As Luffy started drowning, he'd been saved by two people, one to be expected, and one quite the surprise. The first one was now cooking; the second sat across from Yosaku.

Maybe we should get the timeline straight first. Sanji had been reminded of his childhood dream upon hearing Luffy's own impossible dream, and witnessing the stubbornness and conviction with which he chased it down, defying death itself. In the aftermath of the fight, thoughts of All Blue had plagued him. Zeff, wanting him to chase his dream, had pulled a trick in order to make him leave of his own accord. Sanji had seen through it eventually, but he'd realized what he'd truly wanted.

While Sanji listened in as the staff explained their ruse in claiming Sanji's food was terrible in order to make him quit, Yosaku had appeared in a most unusual fashion. Still, how many people can claim they traveled in a shark's mouth, seriously? When the resulting mayhem had died down, Yosaku explained how the group that had left had managed to determine where Nami was headed. Luffy was all for leaving immediately, heedless of Yosaku's warnings that the person on the island made Kreig look harmless. With the thanks (and eighty percent of the meat) of Baratie, Luffy and Co. had made to leave, only to be stopped by Sanji. His words were still clear in Luffy's head: "We all have foolish dreams. I guess I'll have a go at mine. I'll join your crew."

And thus, the odd, intangible, mind-boggling power of Luffy strikes once again; he could make people that hated his guts become his best friend, given enough time. Why, oh why, had fate given the charisma to the idiot? Why? Luffy had jumped for joy, immediately thinking of all the delicious food he was going to eat. Sanji, in a goodbye that had started out stoic but had dissolved into everyone crying, left the Baratie, to chase down his dream of All Blue as a pirate.

This is what people are expecting; let's throw the curveball, shall we? While Luffy had made the preparations to go, Gin had approached him. The Kreig crew, the ones that had recovered from the 'Mihawk incident', had fled with their tails between their legs, leaving him behind. Gin was in a state of great confusion; he'd always believed that Kreig was the greatest, and had dutifully followed him even while he committed atrocious acts, because of his respect for the man's strength. The Don was the best; to be the best, some things just had to be done.

That illusion had been shattered; Kreig had crossed a line. It was one thing to use a Marine ship to sneak up on a base; it was another to betray the very people that had saved your life. Gin had seen the amazing strength that Luffy had demonstrated; the single-minded focus and drive that allowed him to take on the invincible. Like a puppy, Gin had attached himself to Luffy the same way he'd attached himself to Kreig. Luffy had seen that Gin was a good guy, and he'd demonstrated his skill at the 'cannonball-tonfa', as he called them, when Patty had snuck up on him to get him to pay for his 'free' meal a few days prior. He was welcomed into the crew, no questions asked. What? Don't look at me like that! The guy's going to want an animate skeleton on his crew ten minutes after meeting him!

Mild tear in the fourth dimension aside, Luffy was ecstatic; he'd gotten the world's greatest cook, and a… well, whatever Gin was to boot. It had only been a day since they'd left the Baratie, but Luffy's charm had already started working; Gin was proving to be excellent company. Sanji, especially, seemed to be making friends with him, the two of them finding that, aside from Sanji's womanizing, the two had much in common. Still, he seemed withdrawn at times, as if the reality of Kreig's defeat were still catching up to him. Luffy needed to break him out of his shell.

Well, no time like the present, Luffy guessed. "Oi, Gin. I was wondering; what's your life like? Sanji already told us all about All Blue and Zeff saving him back at the Baratie, so I know him. You, on the other hand, I don't know at all. You're still part of my crew, but we're not nakama till we've cried. Mind telling me your story?" It was true; Luffy had, through Haki treatments, whining, and a lot of dodging, gotten Zoro and Usopp to admit their pasts, making them all closer as nakama. Nami, though, had seemed ashamed and very sad when the subject came up, and even Luffy could be sensitive.

Gin looked willing enough, though his eyes reflected some old sorrow. He began with "I was born on a small island, on the other end of East Blue, near the Redline. Time were hard; our village was right by the Redline, where the tides were unpredictable; there were few merchants willing to take the risk to sail to our island with surprise. I grew up with food enough, though just barely. My village wasn't really self-sufficient, and it wasn't uncommon for the locals to join the bandits, in order to steal the next shipment and take all the food for their own. It was a very dog-eat-dog atmosphere."

"When I was thirteen, my father became gravelly ill. We didn't have the money for a doctor, and he died soon after. My mother went into despair, and she all but forgot about me. I tried to join the bandits, feeling alone and unwanted, but they didn't accept me, saying I was weak and puny. The next day, Don Kreig showed up, stealing the food for him and his crew before the bandits could. When then attacked him in anger, they took him down single-handedly. I was amazed by his strength; I begged him to let me join his crew. Incredibly, he accepted."

"We sailed together, my loyalty never in question. He made me strong, gave me purpose when I was drifting. In my eyes, he could do no wrong. When we managed to escape the Grandline, I acted as a decoy, luring the Marines away from our flagship, without a second thought. When I managed to escape, I found myself at the Baratie. The rest is history." Gin chuckled to himself. "It's funny; I tried to join the bandits because they were strong, then joined Kreig when he proved stronger, only to join you when you were stronger still. You should probably be afraid of my betrayal in case I find someone even stronger," he said, his tone full of carefully-hidden self-loathing.

Luffy would have none of that. "Please, as if anyone could be stronger than me. Even if there was, you wouldn't want to leave." Gin cocked his head in confusion. Luffy grinned like his namesake. "I'm going to make sure you have so much fun on my crew that you'll never want to leave!" Gin smiled slightly, but his eyes seemed clear of doubts for the first time since he'd gotten on the boat.

Yosaku pounded his fist on the deck, getting the attention of Luffy, Gin, and Sanji within the kitchens. "How can you act so carefree at a time like this? We're going off to Arlong Park! Do you have any idea how serious that is?" Luffy shook his head no, but Gin seemed a tad more serious. Yosaku sighed, and decided to enlighten Luffy. "Okay, listen really closely to me, Luffy. In the Grandline, there are three major powers; one of them is the Shichibukai. They are seven pirates approved by the world government."

Sanji asked, through the open window of the kitchen, how any pirate could be approved by the government. Yosaku explained calmly "The Shichibukai used to be pirates with enormous bounties. Now, the hunt down other pirates, in exchange for amnesty for their actions. Hawk-eyes, the man big bro Zoro faced, is one of them. One of the Shichibukai is a merman, a race with ten times the strength of a man and the ability to breath underwater! And Arlong, the man Nami is going after, was on his crew! Do you understand how powerful a foe we face now?"

Luffy looked up from his sketching pad, which he had retrieved from… I have no idea. "So, he looks like this?" Luffy questioned, revealing a poor drawing of a gaping fish on two legs. Gin, despite himself, chuckled, while Sanji laughed outright when he peeked through the kitchen door. Yosaku hung his head, sad that all his effort had been worthless. Luffy suddenly became serious. "I don't care how strong he is; Nami wants something with him. If he gets in my way, I'll kick his ass. It's as simple as that."

Gin raised an eyebrow; with Kreig, the man had carefully judged his opponents, learning all their weaknesses before he fought. Luffy, on the other hand, seemed to prone to just charging right in. It was an oddly refreshing course of action. Yosaku brightened at Luffy's attitude, only for his mouth to yield to a waterfall of saliva as Sanji emerged, balancing plates of delicious-looking food. "Okay, we've got meat off the bone, fried beans, and my specialty rice. Everyone dig in!"

The next five minutes were occupied by table manners that would have made wild animals look like high-class society. Luffy tore into everything in sight, becoming a human vacuum. Yosaku, having learned from experience, tried to eat his food as fast as possible before it disappeared down Luffy's gullet. Gin was simply too ignorant to prepare; half his food disappeared without him even noticing. Sanji, after a punishing blow to Luffy's soft head, was left clear of the slaughter.

Sanji started to stare off dreamily for some reason. "If Nami-san is involved with these mermen, maybe she is a mermaid!" Hearts replaced his one visible eye, causing Gin to take a cautious step away. Luffy, in response, held up a picture identical to his last one, except this one had long hair. Sanji exploded, yelling at Luffy as if it would solve all the world's problems.

They were suddenly interrupted by a massive jet of water from the side of the boat. Turning to investigate, the four found themselves staring into the hungry eyes of what appeared to be a giant bull with fins and scales. Yosaku started panicking in a very Usopp-esque manner, while the other three watched with no obvious emotion. "Any one else want to take it?" Luffy asked, still gnawing on the bone he'd just put in his mouth. Sanji slowly stood up, turning to face the sea-cow.

"Oi, if it's just the food you want, take it." The cow gave no sign of understanding, but did open its mouth and lean forward. Out of nowhere, Sanji gave it a punishing kick to the head. In response the Yosaku's panic, he explained "The cow was going to eat me too. What kind of manners are those?" The cow reappeared, this time looking angry. Sanji stared it down calmly. As it dashed forward, Sanji leapt high into the air. "Collier Shoot!" With that, Sanji delivered a powerful kick to the creature's neck, effectively bruising if not crumbling its windpipe.

The sea-cow fell on its back, creating a nice little dramatic water jet. Sanji turned to bow. Gin applauded very respectfully. Luffy took another approach: "Sugei! I'm so glad I got you as my cook!" Yosaku took a deep breath. _'I'm going to die of a heart attack if I stick around big bro Luffy any longer than necessary,'_ the man thought to himself.

Sanji returned to his seat. Now that the excitement was over, he had a question to ask. "Oi, Luffy. The shitty old man mentioned something to me, and I've been meaning to ask you about it." Taking his eyes off Yosaku's temporarily unguarded plate, Luffy turned to face Sanji, indicating he had his attention. "The old man came across a few people with that Haki stuff when he was in the Grandline. He was wondering how you and everyone on your crew managed to use it, since it's supposed to be really rare."

Luffy smiled, revealing his semi-full mouth. "That's easy! Haki is just the excess energy given off by a strong spirit. Some people have a special Haki like me, but that's just because I have a special soul." Luffy then held up one finger. "One of the reasons why my nakama can use it is because they knew about it in the first place." A second finger went up. "Another reason is that they spent a lot of time dealing with my Haki, so they got a better understanding of what it feels like." A third finger went up. "The main reason they can all use it, though, is because they all have crazy dreams they'd lay their lives down for. Usopp may be a coward, and Nami might not look like much…"

At this point, Sanji's foot headed for his head, accompanied by the chain smoker's enraged yell. "LIKE HELL NAMI-SWAN ISN'T MUCH! DO YOU EVEN HAVE EYES, OR DOES YOUR RUBBER BRAIN THINK BOYS ARE BETTER?" Luffy took the blow, his head snapping back into place due to the wonders of a rubber neck. He kept on speaking, completely ignoring Sanji's outburst. "But, deep down, they're just as determined as me or Zoro. Usopp has spent his entire life wanting to be brave, to be a warrior, and Nami is as fierce as a tiger; she'd sooner cut off her arm than just throw everything she believes in away! That is why, with a little help from me, they managed to learn how to use Haki!" (This isn't OC; Nami stabbed herself and was willing to spend another hopeless few years gathering money just so no one would get hurt. As to Usopp, HELLO! If he wasn't as insane as the rest of them, would he have fought Luffy with everything he had in Water 7? The Straw-Hats aren't normal, people, even the ones that look normal, so I would appreciate fewer comments about how you guys can't believe that the 'weaker' characters have Haki as well! On with the story).

At this point, the sea-cow righted itself, now crying and with a big bump on his head. Luffy turned away from Sanji to the cow. "Hey, Mystery Cow! Would you mind helping us get to the next island?" The cow just stared, and started to just turn away and leave when Luffy spoke again, this time in the voice he used with Thrasher when he was still training him. **"Are you sure you wouldn't like to help us?"** Luffy asked, freaking out the rest of the people on the boat, who hadn't heard Luffy's 'no-nonsense' voice before. The cow froze. He turned back to face Luffy, sufficiently cowed, no pun intended.

Luffy grinned, and expertly lassoed a rope around the cow's horns and attached it to the boat. "Onward!" Luffy yelled, signaling the cow to haul fin, leaving Gin, Sanji, and Yosaku to go flying back amid a hail of three-quarters-eaten food.

* * *

Elsewhere…

Zoro was officially pissed. This is bad. Zoro got partially pissed when Usopp got loud and started panicking, he became moderately pissed when Nami started haggling him about money he didn't even remember borrowing from her, and he had been borderline pissed when Luffy had pulled the training regime from the land of melon waffles of doom… mmm, waffles… covered in cheese syrup… yum… WTF!!!!!!!!!

But now, Zoro was _officially_ pissed. The group had finally gotten to Arlong Park, where Nami had apparently charged off towards in hope of getting the substantial bounty. Zoro, even with a crippling injury, had been all for the warrior's approach. Of course, Usopp wouldn't know warrior's pride if it popped out of his bag and slapped him silly. So, pathetic coward that he was, had jumped Zoro when his back was turned, aided by Johnny. TRAITOR!!!!!!!!

Now, Zoro was tied up with rope, surrounded by mermen. Usopp had steered clear of Arlong Park, only to jump ship at the first sign of the fish-people, leaving Zoro behind. Oh yeah, he was _definitely_ going to kill him! But, those happy thoughts would have to be put on hold. Right now, Zoro had to deal with the situation. Here's the SitRep: he was tied up with quality rope, with a fresh injury that had been patchily treated by him, which even then was sending constant waves of pain and fever, breaking his concentration. He had only one workable sword. He was surrounded by mermen in their home base. Said mermen seemed to be made of tougher stuff than humans, as Zoro's flares of Haki had only taken out the obvious weaklings, and each flare was met by a kick to the chest by the nearest mermen. So, yeah, if he ever got out of this, Usopp would be his new training dummy.

In front of the green-haired man, the leader of the mermen sat on a throne-like chair, made of simple stone. He wore an open beach shirt over his impressive chest, which had a tattoo of the sun over the left pectoral. He was also wearing green shorts with a blue belt of cloth, a fur-cap over black hair, and sandals. That's where the human qualities ended. He was easily seven feet, perhaps taller. His skin was a light blue, with webbing between his fingers. Though he was a shark merman, he apparently had some swordfish somewhere in the gene pool, since his nose was longer than Usopp's, and very pointy. Oh, and his teeth: very, VERY pointy.

The leader was regarding him with the look Zoro had come to associate with all the enemies fate lined up for him: arrogant, full of superiority, and believing that they were invincible. Seriously, the crew should make a checklist to test the theory. The fish-man spoke, his tone deep and interwoven with his god complex. "I'll ask you again; what were you doing on a boat near my shore? Are you some nobody bounty hunter looking to take on me, Saw-tooth Arlong? Not that you'd have a chance; you're just a human."

Oh, that was another quirk about the guy, Arlong apparently: he seemed to think mermen were inherently better than humans. Zoro didn't bother to point out that mermen couldn't eat Devil's Fruits, or the fact that humans outnumbered them about ten to one. "I told you, my captains sent me here to find a woman. Do you need to have your hearing checked, fish-man?"

That caused dark murmurs to fly. Arlong grinned maliciously. "I'll pretend you didn't say that, human. You should remember who you're talking to; mermen have the ability to breathe underwater, while you humans are chained to the land. Fate has ordained that we are superior, while your race is meant to be below us. If you sass me, that would be defying Fate, wouldn't it?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow. This guy needed a reality check. Zoro decided to try out a new idea, one he'd gotten from Luffy. Zoro spoke, and when he did, the air seemed to drop a few dozen degrees; while a killing intent that rivaled Arlong's own when he became angered permeated the air. **"D**o** I look **like** I care **about** Fate?**" Ok, so it needed to be perfected, but it carried the point. Zoro's piercing stare into Arlong's impassive eyes was broken by another kick by another random fish-man.

Arlong scoffed. "You think that just because you've got that little parlor trick called Haki that you're better than me. We mermen are above such immaterial things. You'd do better to learn your place. Humans exist on a lower level than me and my kind; get it through your head." Zoro coughed up a little blood, but otherwise seemed uncaring for his situation. He'd been strong before Luffy had taught him Haki; he wasn't powerless without it. He'd just have to wait for the opportune moment.

A door behind Arlong opened, and a person walked out. A human, more specifically a woman. A short, red-headed woman. Zoro's eyes widened in surprised, though that soon passed; he'd never really trusted her, after all. Nami regarded him with contempt, as she continued walking toward Arlong. "You know I hate it when you go off on the human thing Arlong."

Arlong grinned, surveying Nami as if she were some fabulous prize in his possession. "You know that you're the exception to that rule, Nami. No one else on my crew is able to draw maps as detailed or as accurately as you can." Nami scoffed, still walking forward, in slightly different attire than Zoro had seen her wearing before. "Of course none of your crew can; our very brain compositions are different." Nami crouched down in front of the now scowling Zoro, her face in a contemptuous smirk… which oddly didn't seem right.

"What is it; can't understand the situation through that thick skull of yours?" Nami showed her left shoulder, which had always been covered by her shirt sleeve when she'd been on the crew. "Make sense now?" she asked, as Zoro stared at the tattoo on her shoulder. It was an artistic representation of a swordfish, identical to the one on the pirate flag that hung at the top of Arlong Park.

Zoro merely stared into her eyes. "I'm not surprised; I never trusted you in the first place." Nami scowled, but once again it didn't seem natural; to Zoro, it appeared as if Nami was wearing a kind of mask, hiding her true emotions behind a wall of contempt and disregard. "Then why did you come?" the woman asked, as she stood up once more. "Luffy told me to; he's the captain, after all. You know, he never stopped trusting you, even when you stole the ship. Where's Thrasher, by the way?"

Nami paused for a moment, and the mask seemed to waver, but it solidified once again. "That retard sea-snake. He's with Arlong's animal trainer, right now. And as to Luffy, he's an even bigger retard than his pet. I said from the start that I was only with you for the money." Arlong laughed boisterously at that statement, slamming his hand down on the arm of his chair. "This woman, she's a real witch, isn't she? She abandoned her people, even ignored her mother's death, all for the sake of money! Shahahahaha!"

Nami's breath caught, and her mask completely disappeared, revealing to Zoro shame, self-loathing, and an incredible sorrow. Zoro raised an eyebrow, while Nami recomposed herself. The woman looked down on him once more. "You see? I was never a part of your crew. Now, why don't you just go back to your retard captain, tell him to get a new pet, and go off to the Grandline or whatever."

Zoro chuckled to himself, drawing confusion. He looked straight into Nami's eyes; his grayish-white eyes making her feel very small and insignificant. "Are you sure about that first part?" With that, Zoro threw himself backward. He fell into the water and sank like a stone, disappearing from view. A few minutes passed. Arlong's crew started remarking on what just happened, some laughing at the man's idiocy in killing himself. Nami heard none of it, her eyes locked on the bubbles that slowly dwindled off. Conscious thought left; the only thing in her head was _'Baka!'_ as she dived into the water, intent on saving the drowning swordsman.

Minutes later, Nami hauled him up, gasping for air and from physical exertion, unaware from the distrusting look she was getting from one of Arlong's lieutenants, Kuroobi. Nami yelled at Zoro in frustration. "Baka! What the hell were you thinking?" she cried, and all of a sudden she was back on the Going Merry, yelling at Zoro over some random incident, Usopp yelling at them to calm down, Luffy laughing without a care in the world in the background. Nami tried to clear those thoughts from her head; she really didn't want to remember those times.

Zoro smirked, before looking at her with a knowing gaze. "You can't even watch a single person die in front of you? Some witch." Nami was seized by an unholy anger; just when things were working out, when ten longs years were starting to pay off, Luffy and his stupid crew had to come and ruin everything! "URUSAI!" she screamed, delivering a Haki-powered bitch slap, knocking Zoro a few inches off the ground.

Arlong whistled in admiration. "You've gotten strong, Nami. Maybe these idiots managed to teach you something, eh?" Nami, her face set in stone, merely turned away. "Lock him up; he's not important." As she passed Arlong, she whispered "The deal's still on; only seven million to go." Arlong nodded with an acquiescing air, as he signaled for two of his lackeys to throw the moss-head in the prison.

"All this excitement has gotten me worked up; I think I'll go run some errands." With that, Arlong stood up, making to leave for Nami's hometown, Cocoyashi Village. As the major players of Arlong's crew followed as an escort, Nami snuck into a certain room.

Zoro waited in the cell, contemplating escape. Not really likely, given the circumstances. The door opened, and Nami stood in the doorway. Zoro regarded her levelly, noting the knife in her hand. She came forward, and brought the knife down. She turned to leave, talking over her shoulder when she paused in the doorway. "Get out of here," she said, before leaving the prison, following after Arlong's entourage. In the cell, the newly-liberated Zoro rubbed his arms to get the blood flowing. He surveyed the neatly-cut ropes. He smirked to himself. _'Seems that Nami isn't as heartless as she's supposed to be.'_

With that, Zoro decided to kill time by taking out the fish-men in the base. He grinned demonically, as he slowly removed Wado Ichimonji from its sheath.

* * *

Usopp's eyes fluttered open. Where was he? He remembered abandoning Zoro, swimming to shore, finding an upside-down town, being attacked by a little kid… Usopp remembered. He'd made to protect a little boy and a young woman with blue hair and tattoos across her upper body from a merman, and then everything went black. He looked around panicky, fearing that he was in the merman's custody. Instead, he found he was in a simple cottage, with the boy and woman from before sitting down to the kitchen table for tea.

The woman regarded him, an odd combination of relief and exasperation on her face. "Oh, you're up. Be grateful you're here. If I hadn't knocked you out, you'd be dead." Usopp angered a bit at that. "Oi, why the heck did you do that?" Usopp regressed slightly with his next statement. "I'm the great Captain Usopp! I'm more than enough for one measly merman!" The woman regarded him coldly, while the boy seemed to glare at him, as if Usopp were mocking him.

The woman spoke, with the air of one speaking to a child, "You're an idiot. No one can stand up to Arlong and his mermen. You saw Gosa Village coming in, didn't you? Arlong pulled that off single-handedly. That merman would have slaughtered you." While Usopp suddenly started exhibiting symptoms of 'Holy-shat-i-almost-got-killed-osis' and 'I-must-not-stay-on-this-island-or-I'll-die-itis', the blue-haired woman turned to the kid.

"You're from Gosa, aren't you? What were you doing there?" The boy looked down. "Arlong killed my father when he attacked our village. I can't just let that slide! So, I went off to Arlong Park to take revenge, but this witch stopped me! I went to Gosa after that, to take on the underlings." Usopp raised an eyebrow: this kid had more courage than he did. That wasn't saying much, but still.

The woman had a different opinion. "You're an idiot and a coward. That was your plan: to throw your life away needlessly? You're life has been saved twice now, by both me and the witch." Usopp was appalled at her callousness, and asked why she was going so hard on the kid. "Life's harsh; those who can't accept that are better off dead." She regarded the silently-crying boy, and her gaze softened. "Your mother must be worried sick. Go and take care of her."

The boy's eyes widened; in his childish rage, he'd forgotten all about his mom. He got up, thanked her for the tea, and left. Usopp watched him go, realizing the whole thing had been a ploy to keep the kid from killing himself. He turned to the woman. "You know, you're actually pretty nice. Even if you have tattoos." The only girl near Usopp's age that he'd met had been Kaya, and so he came from an old school of thought when it came to women.

She scoffed. "That's a stereotype. Anyway, my name's Nojiko. Care to explain why you're on an island under the rule of a tyrant?" Usopp bit back the reflexive "I'm an awesome, benevolent captain" tirade; he could lie for fun and with strangers, but Usopp had respect for Luffy… as long as the idiot wasn't trying to kill him. He quickly laid out who he was, what the crew was doing, and the pursuit for Nami.

Nojiko raised an eyebrow, but nodded sadly. "I see; so you're the ones she was talking about." At Usopp's confused expression, she elaborated. "That witch the kid was talking about was Nami. She's been working for Arlong for nigh on a decade. She betrayed her hometown and her family, all for the sake of money." Usopp's eyes widened in shock. "I'm sorry about this, but Nami was never a part of your crew. She went with you for the loot. This is the house she grew up in, but she left it for Arlong's side. My little sister isn't who you think she is."

Usopp exploded. "That witch! We never suspected! She played us all for fools. How could she do something like that?" Usopp dwindled down when the last statement registered. "Little sister? You mean, you're related to her." Nojiko sighed, before standing up and moving to pick up an old photo. It showed a toddler Nami and Nojiko, crowding around a red-haired woman.

"We're not related by blood, but we might as well be. We were raised together, orphans, by the same woman. She was our mother. Then, Arlong killed her." Usopp gaped in shock; this seemed to just add to the atrocities Nami had committed. Before Usopp could go off again, he heard a commotion in the distance. Nojiko heard it too. "Come; let's see what's going on."

The two exited the cottage, which was surrounded by a tangerine orchard, and jogged the short distance to nearby Cocoyashi Village, Usopp following Nojiko. They came upon the buildings soon and hid in an alley-way. Usopp nearly went into apoplexy at the scene before him: a massive, _beast_ of a creature with unnatural skin and a shark's fin was holding a heavily-scarred man by the throat, other such fish-like creatures watching. "T-t-that's Arlong? He's huge!" Nojiko paid him no mind, watching attentively.

In a very long, drawn out way, Arlong proceeded to impress the reality of his rule and make a hypocrite of himself. He told the man in his arms, the unofficial leader of Cocoyashi by the name of Genzo, that the possession of weapons caused only chaos and death, as if he didn't cause enough of that himself, and that those who defied his rule had to die; had he not destroyed Gosa for just that reason? Usopp stiffened. "He turned that whole village upside-down for just one person?"

Nojiko nodded grimly. "Since the start of his reign, Arlong has forced us to buy our own lives once a month. The amount is exorbitant for simple traders like us. If even one person falls behind on the 'tribute', that person and everyone in their village get slaughtered." The sight of the man that was like her father having the life crushed out of him proved too much for the woman; she stepped out of her hiding place to confront Arlong.

"Arlong! Why do you have to kill him? Have we not loyally paid the tribute all these years?" Arlong turned his gaze onto her, but the pride of Bellemere ran as deep in Nojiko as it did in Nami; she stood her ground. The other villagers emerged, showing their own agreement with Nojiko. Genzo seemed terrified, but not for himself. "You fools! We've worked too long for you to throw it all away! When Arlong arrived, we swore to fight a battle of attrition. For ten long years we've succeeded; don't waste it on my death!"

It was soon obvious that his words had come too late. Arlong had a malicious glint in his eyes, staring at the mob like a shark surveying a school of fish. Genzo closed his eyes in defeat. !!!!!!! The 'WTF' factor just generated is equivalent to the one produced when Arlong's head was covered in an explosion. A loud, melodramatic voice filled with cowardice to the fourth power spoke from a nearby roof. The people in Cocoyashi watched in mixed awe and fear as the trembling Usopp made his quasi-heroic speech.

"Stop right there, you overgrown fish! I, the Great Captain Usopp, with his 8,000 followers, will stop at nothing to free this island from your tyranny. Leave of your own accord, and I promise to go easy on you!" The smoke cleared, to reveal an unscathed Arlong. The merman tossed Genzo aside, before turning his attention to Usopp. Said long-nose nearly had a heart attack; the shark-man was giving him a look of such hatred, malice, and bloodlust that he made Zoro look like a fluffy bunny.

"8,000 you say? I'll take 'em all on. Starting with you!" In a flash, Arlong was flying at Usopp. He barely managed to jump out of the way, and just in time: the entire house Usopp had been standing on crumbled from the force of the impact. Usopp stood still, and the whole world seemed to hold its breath. He turned from the hoard of mermen, to the upright Arlong, to the ruins of the building. His face remained neutral and calm as he starred off into the distance. Then… he turned and ran like a bat out of hell.

Arlong's crew quickly restrained the man, knowing that when their captain got angry, fragile objects such as buildings tended to break. A contingent of mermen chased after Usopp, who was crying theatrically and screaming his head off as he outraced his own sonic boom. The populace of Cocoyashi Village stared in shock at the 'selfless' sacrifice of Usopp in distracting the mermen. This was the scene Nami found as she arrived at her hometown.

* * *

Zoro was at peace. _'There is nothing more relaxing than a good, heartless massacre.'_ From his lofty perch, the author nearly had a stroke. I didn't write that, I whispered fearfully. "So? You really think I care about the fourth dimension?" Zoro asked the heavens. My eyes widened in fear, before a sadistic grin marred my face, causing my sister on the laptop beside me to cautiously edge away. So, that's the way you want to play it, marimo? To quote fuyutaro son: Don't fuck with the master.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Bring it," he challenged, not fearing the omni powerful creator of his universe. I rolled up my sleeves, cracked my knuckles, and set my fingers to the keys like a pianist at Carnegie Hall. Giant Space Monkey! Zoro jumped out of his spot on Arlong's throne, narrowly avoiding the ginormous, green chimpanzee in a tin-foil suit that crashed. Zoro, unfortunately, slid on the blood of the mermen he had so casually murdered. Donalgraeme said let there be a brick wall, and there was. Zoro reached for his sword to slice it, only for Kuina's treasured blade to turn into orchids. Zoro hit the wall, stared at the bouquet in his hands, before glaring at the sky. "You're dead!" he yelled, but it was futile. Taj Mahal! The tribute of Shah Jahan to his favorite wife appeared from nowhere above Zoro's head, before being claimed by gravity, crushing Arlong Park, the poor monkey, and the arrogant marimo. And there was much rejoicing.

I turned to face my online audience. Sorry about that, folks. Let's get on with the fic as it was _properly_ meant.

Zoro surveyed the corpses and nearly-dead that once was Arlong's crew. "Man, you guys barely made me break a sweat. For being all 'above humans in every way', you sure didn't pose much of a fight." Zoro measured his own reserves. "This injury's a pain, but that was surprisingly easy." Zoro was secretly pleased; if he was being honest with himself, he had become a bit spoiled on Haki. _'That's it, an extra rep of everything in my routine for forming a crutch.'_ A plan to improve his training aside, Zoro was getting bored very quickly after his little fun.

Lo and behold, a break in the monotony presented itself. Let it not be said that Donalgraeme does not grant what his subjects request over a grudge against a previous incarnation… as if anyone would actually say that, but still. A loud, boisterous voice rose over the wall blocking the harbor, drawing Zoro's attention. At the same time, three separate fishing poles appeared.

"Oh, this one is strong. The have surely caught the greatest fish in all of East Blue!" With that said, one of the poles pulled up a pair of shorts. "Oh! It was me. Indeed, I am the greatest in all of East Blue." Intrigued by the odd voice, Zoro walked over and peered over the wall. He found one of the more interesting mermen he'd ever seen. The guy's skin was a dark pink or salmon if you prefer. He had six arms, each of them with suckers, though they seemed visceral. He wore a tight shirt and shorts in the prison-stripe style, except with yellow to replace the white. His mouth seemed to jut out of his face, like evolution had intended to put a tentacle there and had changed its mind halfway. The tattoo of the sun present on all the mermen, for reasons unknown to Zoro, was on his forehead. Perhaps the oddest part of his appearance was the half-dozen spikes of white hair that made his head resemble a sea urchin, if vaguely.

The man took notice of Zoro. "Oh, who are you? Are you a guest of Arlong-sama?" Zoro looked from the octopus-man to the abattoir that once was the Arlong Park courtyard. Zoro said he was a guest. The octopus man smiled, as if this were the best news. "Great! What's your name? You want mine? It's Hatchan! I'm an octopus merman! Aren't I awesome?" So saying, Hatchan started wiggling all six of his arms in a disturbing manner.

Zoro thought to himself _'What a strange guy.'_ Hatchan halted his dancing. "If you're looking for Arlong-sama, he went to Cocoyashi Village. Want me to take you there?" Zoro saw no problem with this. Hopping into the large pot floating nearby, Hatchan took hold and started his ferry service. Just as Zoro and Hatchan disappeared from sight, Arlong entered the courtyard. The bloodbath might have been a calming sight to Zoro, but to Arlong it was straight out of a nightmare.

Through bloodied lips, the merman that Arlong questioned revealed that the human they had captured was, in fact, the infamous Pirate Hunter Zoro. Arlong froze; even he had come to, if not fear, than become cautious of the extraordinary swordsman. To discover that the man _ordered_ to retrieve Nami was Zoro; well, that cast everything in a new light. The captain of the crew went from the reported idiot to a mysterious, powerful figure, the Sea King currently being 'conditioned' by Kajiki wasn't retarded and brainwashed but the genuine article of Sea King.

Kuroobi, though horrified, had a look of smugness about him. "Arlong-sama, I know that she is very useful, but Nami is a traitor. There's no way Zoro could have escaped without help." Arlong's eyes darkened, knowing full well that such an act would be well within Nami's ability and conscience. A gasp from behind drew his attention. He found a gaping Chew, with the battered form of the human that had shot at him. Arlong grinned evilly; the human would provide the answers.

This proved false, because Usopp proved extremely unhelpful. The man answered their questions with obvious lies. Under the threat of violence, i.e. the removal of his nose, the coward only started lying even more, following a twisted logic that stated that killing him would mean Zoro would_ definitely_ not return. Arlong was getting annoyed; he wanted vengeance, and this human wasn't helping. Hatchan, who had reappeared halfway through, revealed he had just dropped Zoro off at Cocoyashi, looking for Arlong. Usopp's blood turned to ice; any bat squeak of a hope he'd had was destroyed by Zoro. Karma, who would've figured?

Kuroobi once again tried to press the Nami/traitor theory, only to be interrupted by the woman herself. Like a wrathful goddess, she stalked towards the crew, her Haki unconsciously leaking, if not fully intimidating the mermen than at least alerting them to her anger. "You insult me, Kuroobi," she said, walking towards Usopp, whose final hopes that Nami was just faking withered and died; there was no sign of deception as she regarded Usopp with contempt. "I've been with you for ten years, loyally, and yet you question me at every opportunity. If I were going to just betray you, I would have long ago."

Internally, Nami was both irked and worried. _'Zoro, you idiot! Look at the mess you made!'_ Usopp, however, remained unaware of Nami's inner thoughts, his escape and survival the only thing on his mind. While the mermen were distracted, he snuck something from his bag to his hand. "Hissatsu: Kemuri Boshi!" Usopp yelled, detonating the smoke pellet. Like a bullet from a gun, Usopp made a break for the water. For a moment, he allowed himself to hope. Then, Nami appeared in front of him.

As the smoke cleared, the skeptics of Arlong's crew were proved wrong. Nami had a dagger in her hand, plunged into the coward. "I'll do anything… for my dream," she whispered, a sick desperation in her eyes and voice. Usopp starred at the blood on his hands. Nami removed the dagger. Usopp stumbled forward a few steps in shock, before collapsing into the water. As the crew congratulated Nami and Kuroobi was forced to apologize, a horrified Johnny watched from a tree. He jumped down and ran for Zoro, with news of the depth of Nami's treachery.

* * *

Zoro was berating himself. _'While I was killing time, Usopp was risking his life! Damn it, how can I be this pathetic?'_ Zoro continued with his mad sprint for Arlong Park, when he became aware of an odd sound. It was like thunder, if thunder resembled the sound of breaking wood. Zoro turned to his left, a sneaking suspicion confirmed. "ZOOOOOORRRROOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Luffy screamed, waving from a ship that was, defying all laws of sanity, sailing across the ground. Yosaku, the curly-eyebrow cook, and the sickly-looking guy from Baratie were clinging to the boat for dear life. Just before the ship hit Zoro, one thought ran through his mind: _'The instant he turns his back, I am going to shove my sword right up his ass!'_

Then, the wonders of momentum and inertia took hold, dragging Zoro for the ride, before the boat impacted with a thick clump of trees. The world was nothing but chaos and pain. Slowly, leaking Haki and killing intent like a punctured tire, Zoro stood up among the wreckage. Luffy seemed right as rain, the cook straightening his tie beside him. Gin and Yosaku were still stuck to the ground; Yosaku wasn't a monster, and Gin simply wasn't as accustomed to raw craziness as Sanji was due to his years on the Baratie.

"Zoro! What are you doing here? I told you to get Nami!" The straw-hat bastard had the audacity to talk down to him! Zoro dashed forward to slice the rubber-man, only to have his blade blocked by a foot. Zoro turned his glare to Sanji, who merely shrugged. Luffy paid no heed to the attempt on his life, looking around with a look of childlike confusion. "Where's Usopp?" the boy asked, breaking Zoro out of his trance.

"He's dead!" Johnny yelled, drawing the attention of the upright powerhouses, including Gin and Yosaku who just stood up. His statement caused all of them to freeze. "Big sis killed him! She's a witch! I've heard such terrible things, and they're all true! She betrayed us all, even her own people, for money! She works at Arlong's right hand! She even killed Usopp-kun!" Johnny reached them, cheeks running down his cheeks.

Zoro carefully concealed his feelings, Yosaku joined Johnny in crying, Gin was unreadable, and Sanji refused to even accept the possibility that Nami was evil. Luffy, on the other hand... A wave of Haki on a scale beyond anything they'd ever felt tore through the air. The trees were assailed by an invisible wind as everyone unfortunate to be within fifty yards felt as if they were being held in the fist of a deity beyond the scope of their understanding. A feeling of insignificance, of standing up against, _taunting_, a being of infinite strength and power, of being crushed under the relentless, calculating gaze of Death itself, washed over everything.

"**LIAR!"** yelled Luffy, who was not Luffy. Luffy was a lovable idiot, who ate a lot and got impressed by the stupidest things. The creature in their midst wasn't human. No human could harness such power. Johnny and Yosaku, and to lesser extents Gin, Sanji, and Zoro, knew, _knew_ in their lizard-brain that cared only for survival, that the only reason they weren't obliterated was because this monster willed their survival. Johnny was blasted away by an invisible force, thrown through the air with the force of a cannonball. The thing that caused Yosaku to soil his pants, with most of the crew right behind them, was the knowledge that not-Luffy had used no more energy than he would to flick a fly away.

The mountain of spiritual weight disappeared. Yosaku, freed from the crushing presence of Luffy's Haki, fainted. Gin vomited, Sanji frantically grabbed for a cig, seeking refuge in nicotine, and Zoro broke out into a cold sweat. Luffy's face could have been carved from ice. He stretched out his hand, grabbing Johnny and dragging him over. The man was utterly destroyed: his sunglasses had atomized, his body had several odd lumps that simply weren't right, and his pants were stained with the discharge of his bowls. By some miracle, he was still breathing.

Luffy regarded the man with stony eyes, which hid a seething anger. "I would never have used my power like that unless you hadn't said such lies. Nami would NEVER kill Usopp! Nami's eyes smiled when she was with us; she wasn't faking anything. We're nakama. Nakama don't kill each other!" As he ranted at Johnny's broken form, Zoro was taking the deepest breaths of his life to calm his racing heart, while Gin continued to cough up bile and Sanji dragged like his life depended on it. _'The King's Disposition? Sure, if you mean king of the freaking universe! How the fucks can _Luffy_, innocent, stupid Luffy, have this power?'_ In that moment, any doubts Zoro had to Luffy's dream of being Pirate King were decimated; someone with so much power who settled on such a trivial thing deserved nothing less.

Luffy paused in his tirade at Johnny's unconscious body. He turned around. Nami was there, right up the road, staring at him with pure fear. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, her pupils contracted to pinpricks. She noticed Luffy's stare, and shivered. "I-I-I d-didn't k-k-k-kill h-him, Luffy. I-I was a-a-acting." Nami stuttered out; she was terrified. The sheer power Luffy had just exhibited had destroyed all her perceptions of him. She had never truly understood Luffy until that moment. To live with that incredible energy every day… she couldn't imagine it. Before then, Nami had seen Haki as a tool. Now, after seeing its true face in Luffy, she saw it as a curse. There was a reason so few could harness Haki, and even fewer the Haoushoku: if everyone could use it, the world would be torn apart. Luffy had to restrain himself every second of the day, hide behind a mask of naivety and stupidity, so that he didn't accidentally do to those around him what he'd just done to Johnny. He had taught them how to play with fire, but he'd let them see what happens when you weren't careful on their own.

Nami felt something shift inside her. Luffy had been touched by this power since he was a child, and yet here he was. He hadn't gone off to conquer the world, as he could do, she had no doubt. Instead, he'd stuck to his childhood dream, and concerned himself with nothing more than making friends and having fun. He believed in his nakama so strongly, he would unleash the monster within to refute any claims against them.

The fact that Luffy had just done what he'd done to Johnny, just because he'd listed all the evils she'd been forced to do, stunned her. She was filled in equal parts fear, awe, and some feeling she could not name. It was like discovering the person she married was a god: she was amazed, but utterly terrified of what he could do to those that tried to hurt them. When Luffy had looked into her eyes, everything she had worked for the last ten years paled into significance. All that mattered was comforting him; assuring him that everything he'd done for her wasn't in vain, that he wasn't an irredeemable villain for protecting her. At the same time, her survival instincts screamed at her she was being foolish, that this demon in human's skin was dangerous and she should be running VERY far VERY fast in the other direction. The conflict left her weak at the knees.

When Luffy nodded, as if what she'd just said was the obvious truth, a dam behind her broke. She found herself telling him about everything that had happened to her. Bellemere, saving Cocoyashi, everything. She showed him her bandaged hand, where she'd stabbed Usopp, to confirm his survival. She couldn't say why she did it; it could have been to prove she hadn't betrayed him, or it could have been to calm him down so he didn't destroy her. Her sudden, inexplicable sense of debt to him warred with her lizard-brain as her life story tumbled past her lips.

When she finished, Luffy continued to stare at her. Just as she started to feel like she was drowning in the warm, bottomless depths of his eyes, she was saved by the pervert. "NAMI-SWAN IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME FOR DOING SUCH SELFLESS THINGS!" Sanji screamed for the world to here, his legs wiggling and a giant heart replacing his visible eye. Zoro remained neutral, still not ready to trust her, while Gin seemed genuinely impressed by the burden she'd born all these years. Yosaku, like his partner, was still out of commission.

At that moment, Usopp appeared, shouting "Guys! She didn't kill me! She—". He stopped when he saw Nami there. Luffy turned to face his marksman, and suddenly his smile was there, like the sun. All their worries and fears seemed to evaporate in the light of Luffy's carefree smile. It was all the more striking to the crew, since they now knew of the darkness that lurked behind that grin. "Usopp! Nami's still our nakama! Isn't that great!"

The haze that seemed to surround the scene, after all the incredible circumstances that led up to it, was broken by the appearance of Nami's sister. She seemed surprised to see Nami with her crew, her nakama, but she continued to hail her regardless; this was urgent. "Nami! The Marines are here! But they're not going to Arlong Park! They're headed towards the orchard!"

Nami froze, as the puzzle solved itself in her head. With Arlong suddenly on the wayside in her thoughts, she realized what an idiot she'd been. Arlong would never let her go, and she already knew he bribed the Marines. He had sent the Marines to steal her money; it rang true so thoroughly that it was the only explanation.

She turned to face her nakama, feeling at home with Luffy's grin, Zoro's bored expression, Usopp's obvious fear, even Sanji's heart-eyes and Gin's quiet expression. These were her friends, and they would help her with anything. Nami asked them "Feel like kicking some Marine butt?" She needn't have asked; even Usopp was agreeing in his own way. Nami turned and ran for her treasure, her nakama behind her, Zoro and Luffy unhindered by the fact they were carrying Johnny and Yosaku.

Apart from a brief stop at the doctor's where they dropped off the bounty-hunting pair, the Straw-Hat Crew, now reunited, did not pause as they made for Bellemere's orchard. When they arrived, they found Genzo watching incredulously as the Marines tore apart the orchard looking for Nami's treasure, overseen by the rat-like, both figuratively and literally, Captain Nezumi. Said corrupt bastard was yelling at his men "Come on, find it, it's a hundred million after all!"

That was the last thing he said to his crew, as Nami smashed her staff into the back of his head. She was still a bit shaken up by Luffy's display, so she restrained her Haki. All the same, the man collapsed. In the time it took Nami to fell one, the Monster Three aka Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had taken down ten apiece. Gin joined the fun too, tackling the fringes while Usopp, his cowardice temporarily forgotten in battle fever, picked off those who were running away. In the space of a minute, the entirety of the 16th Branch was out cold.

Genzo watched in shock. "Nami, who are these people?" he asked, amazed by the show of strength. Nami grinned, wider than she had in years, before saying "My nakama," with pride. The redhead then turned, making her way for Cocoyashi. Her crew, as well as Genzo and Nojiko, followed behind her. She reached the town square, before raising her voice to call her people to arms. "Everyone! For these past ten years, I've never betrayed you! I made a deal with Arlong to buy this village and free us all, but he has just tried to sabotage it! He sent his Marine puppets to steal the money I have saved for you this long, hard decade! We can't let him get away with this!"

The villagers were stunned; they hadn't seen such fire in Nami since Bellemere died. Suddenly, a calm, peaceful grin enveloped Nami's face. "People of Cocoyashi, will you come die with me?" she asked. They knew what she was asking: an attack on Arlong, to finally exact revenge. It was suicidal.

"OF COURSE!!!!!!!!!" was the unanimous cry. Nami grinned as her people gathered what weapons they could. She turned to face the road to Arlong Park, her people behind her, her nakama standing beside her. On an impulse, she gripped Luffy's hand with her own. The captain raised an eyebrow, and Sanji started crying, but no one else reacted. Holding her staff in the air, she yelled "Charge!"

They moved forward, an unstoppable tide, a timeless symbol of the oppressed rebelling. They slowed only when the reached the gates. The crowd from Cocoyashi agreed to hang back, as the Straw-Hat Crew prepared for their toughest fight yet. Luffy cracked his knuckles, Nami twirled her staff, Zoro gripped his two new blades, borrowed off Johnny and Yosaku, Sanji stretched his legs, Gin twirled his tonfa, and Usopp, albeit nervously, put on his goggles.

Finally, they were ready. "Allow me," Luffy said, before stepping forward. He faced the foot-thick steel gates, before pulling back his right fist. His Haki a visible outline, the future Pirate King threw the punch. The gates exploded, crumbling even as they were blown off their hinges. Luffy regarded the sea of recovered mermen in front of him. "Which one's Arlong?"

**

* * *

Bingo! Ting-aling-aling! How's that! Bow to the master! You are** _**so**_** not worthy! Enjoy this chapter, enjoy it I say! Good night, everybody!!!!!!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back. Sorry, a combination of SAT Prep, Avatar-obsession and recently spring-fever have made me just too lazy and/or occupied to update. Hope to make up for it. Prepare for a delightful mix of action, conflict, and finally **_**romance**_**! Enjoy.**

* * *

"Which one's Arlong?" Shock. That was the only thing going through anyone's head when Luffy made his entrance. The people of Cocoyashi could attest to the strength of mermen, from bitter experience. A healthy male merman could crush rocks in his hands with minimal difficulties. Arlong was a monster among monsters, being able to lift whole buildings and chew concrete. Nonetheless, the united villagers could only stop and stare as they watched the foot-thick steel walls of Arlong Park fly off their hinges, crumbling into balls as they went through the air. All from a single punch from a lanky teenager.

Said teenager had an oddly calm look on his face. He had a goal, and he was going to get it. People tend to forget the benefits of being simple-minded: you never bother to complicate things. Arlong had hurt his crew. Arlong had made Nami suffer. Come hell or high water, Luffy was going to fix those problems. He strode forward, cracking his knuckles without saying a word.

He also made sure to keep a calm head. It had been said countless times, but it must be repeated: Haki was dangerous. Luffy could still recall the days of his childhood, when the world was smaller and life much simpler. Haki had been a toy, a cool thing only he could do. Luffy had, with childish abandon, explored his new power, marveling over every little detail. Then, the wonder gradually was worn away, to have caution and fears take its place. It had started when he and Ace, his brother in all but blood, had been rough-housing and Luffy just couldn't seem to win. In a fit of jealous rage, Luffy had used every single dreg of Haki that he could muster at once, his young mind concerned only with wiping the victorious smirk off Ace's face.

The pirate king's son was sent to the hospital in a coma with every bone in his body broken, as if some angry god had crushed him in its fist. Luffy could still feel the numb shock he'd experienced as he sat by Ace's bedside, watching him sleep the rest of the dead while all but mummified by bandages and casts. It had been too much, too big slices of harsh reality for his mind to even fumble for, let alone grasp. Haki was supposed to be all fun, his little trick. It wasn't supposed to hurt people. It wasn't supposed to hurt Ace. Luffy had spent months despondent, barely speaking, his mind trapped in a never-ending downward spiral that centered on the terrible, inescapable truth that he had killed Ace.

When Ace woke up, Luffy had hugged him so hard that he almost crushed his ribcage all over again. From that day forward, Luffy was _changed_, one fundamental part of his being gone forever: his innocence. Luffy trained harder, spent more time learning his Haki, made jokes and acted like an idiot for his friends, but gone was the childish belief that everything would work out fine. Luffy had caught his first glimpse of the real world that day with Ace, and it had set in a domino effect that had led to Luffy today: idiotic, but not dumb; strong, but not arrogant; vengeful, but not judgmental. Luffy knew he had power, and he took pains to control that power. He made sure that he would never, _ever_ fall down that bottomless ledge he had toed when he'd lost his temper with Ace.

In a snap, Luffy was back in the present. That was why he would use his fists to kill Arlong: a duel had honor, a duel was fair. Using Haki wouldn't make this a fight; it would make it an execution. So, even though some dark part of his soul was screaming at him to annihilate his enemies, Luffy did nothing more than crack his knuckles.

Arlong himself was observing Luffy with disbelief. It just didn't match up in his head. There was no way this kid was just walking into a base full of mermen, while ruining their front door. No one was that idiotic. Suicidal, possibly, but Arlong could tell by the simmering fire in this kid's eyes that he wasn't intending on abandoning his life anytime soon. So, assuming he wasn't suicidal or a retard, and drawing the conclusion left by the crumbled gates, this kid honestly believed he could take on Arlong and his crew. The idea was so inconceivable that Arlong simply refused to accept it.

"Arlong. That would be my name. And who would you be?" the shark-man asked, answering the question. Luffy's eyes locked on his, and he adjusted his course to walk towards the throne Arlong was sitting in. "I'm Luffy. A pirate," Luffy answered, slowly gathering his energies even as he engaged in the almost obligatory banter. Once Luffy got within a certain distance of Arlong, who was regarding him like he was an odd amusement, two mermen blocked his path.

"Oi, mister, you can't just walk in here," one of them said, literally looking down on Luffy, though you could tell he was a bit nervous: Luffy was already emitting his intimidation vibes from how much anger-fueled Haki he was holding back. The merman's fellow was of a similar type. "What business does some random pirate have with Arlong-sama, huh?" he asked. Luffy did not as much as look at them. He merely grabbed their heads in his hands… and brought them together hard enough for the sound of cracking bone to be heard. Arlong's eyes widened as he watched his two nakama collapse in a heap.

Nami would savor the next few moments for the rest of her life. When her world was imploding and life seemed out to get her, she would recall this moment in time, and have a little laugh. As Luffy cocked his fist, Nami spoke, her voice reverberating across the shocked and silent courtyard. "Arlong, I'd like you to meet my captain." Luffy then punched Arlong so hard that he literally flew horizontally into the wall twenty meters away, reducing a portion of the wall to rubble. The looks of shock, surprise, and just a smattering of fear on the crew's faces were infinitely satisfying to Nami.

As the dust cloud cleared, revealing a shaken but otherwise fine Arlong, Luffy spoke, his words laced with an otherworldly rage. "You hurt my nakama. You used her and made her miserable." Luffy raised his head, and unleashed a relatively mild wave of Haki, while he intoned "You. Will. Pay." Death himself would have been less intimidating than Luffy in that one moment.

"Oi, Luffy! Quit being so melodramatic. We're pirates, not actors, or dumb liars for that matter," Zoro grumbled, appearing at his captain's side, freaking out the audience even more with his speed. Usopp spoke up from his spot near the wall, actually having a legitimate excuse for hanging back due to his focus on ranged attacks. "That hurts, Zoro! That hurt me real deep!" Zoro glared with annoyance at the marksman. "You'll get over it," he retorted, causing Usopp to cry anime tears of under appreciation.

The mermen, who so far had been watching the events like it was some terribly engaging soap opera, seemed to have a collective 'light bulb' moment. "How dare you hurt Arlong-sama?!" they yelled, rushing towards the nonchalant captain and first mate. Just when they were about to hit, they were all shot out of the air by an incredible barrage of kicks. "You weaklings stay out of the way," Sanji said, straightening his tie. Gin strode forward then, twirling his tonfa in boredom. "Not that I don't appreciate a good macho standoff, but what was with that solo walk in here? We wouldn't want you hogging all the prey, now would we?" Luffy just shrugged. "I'm captain; I get to go first." Whereas before the veteran members of the crew would have simply humored Luffy, now they merely acquiesced. Luffy had given them a taste of how strong he truly was, and the awe and fear that had inspired was still there, not yet faded into the background of crew life.

Nojiko chose that time to snap, seeing only the surface with no idea of the multiple layers underneath. "What the hell is with these guys? They just attacked Arlong and his crew, and they're acting like this is just some kind of game! Nami, are these guys serious?" Nami regarded her adoptive sister, and gave an amused chuckle. "Nojiko, the first thing you need to understand about my crew: we are all fun-loving idiots, who just happen to be insanely strong in our given fields. I'd be worried if they _weren't_ acting like a bunch of kids. It's annoying, but it works. That being said just sits back and enjoys the show." Nami and Usopp were really the support types, hardly needed but there just in case.

The remaining mermen, who had also been brain-dead up to this point, spontaneously recovered their intelligence. Hatchan pointed at Zoro. "Aw, there he is the mystery swordsman! He rode me… I mean, I gave him a ride." Unaware of the embarrassing connotations his words had, Hatchan proceeded to notice Usopp. "Aw, what's with that long nose? He's still alive! But Nami killed him!" Hatchan then paused, finally seeming to notice the mob just outside the gates (seriously, it amazed me to no end that they didn't notice until Chew was chasing Usopp). "Um… why is Nami-san here with an angry mob behind her?" the octopus asked dumbly, apparently unable to deal with all this new information and still speak intelligently.

Kuroobi snarled, glaring at Nami with loathing and contempt. "I knew it. So, you really are a traitor, Nami." What Nami did next almost gave the Cocoyashi villagers (and Usopp) heart attacks. She pulled her eyelid down, while sticking out her tongue. "Yep, I decided to stab you guys in the back. Got a problem with that?" Kuroobi seemed shocked into silence, while Luffy's respiratory system started to collapse as he gave into extreme levels of laughter. Sanji, of course, went into 'heart-mode', while Gin and Zoro both held smiles of varying amusement. Nami herself had never had this much fun.

The scene was broken by the arrival of two monsters of the deep. Out of nowhere, Thrasher and the sea-cow Luffy had run into rose up from the sea. Standing on top of the cow's head was a brand-new merman no one had seen yet. Whereas Arlong seemed to be vaguely related to a swordfish, this guy was obviously a pure-bred. While still being ridiculously tall compared to a human, this merman lacked the general bulk of the rest of the crew, being very streamlined. His nose was also a good foot long, and ended in a needle-sharp point. His skin was silvery, and he lacked any hair.

The man, oblivious to his surroundings, shouted out in a very Usopp-esque manner "Arlong-sama! I'm back with that Sea King you gave me! Man, he was a tough one! But, I, Kajiki the Sea-beast Tamer, have once again proven victorious! This thing will hop when you say hop! What should we na-name… what in the name of Poseidon has happened here?" Kajiki had just taken notice of the chaos of Arlong Park, unaware that he had unknowingly just signed his death warrant.

Luffy was seeing red. Something was wrong with Thrasher! The giant serpent was looking at Luffy like he was a dumb animal. This guy had messed with his pet! There would be no innocents. "**Excuse me**," Luffy said, freaking out everyone there, particularly the Straw Hats. They could practically smell the Haki Luffy was holding back at that moment. "**Thrasher and I have some issues to work out.**" With that, Luffy launched himself through the air towards Kajiki. Said idiot squealed like a little girl, sufficiently freaked out by this new enemy, before hopping off the sea-cow's head and landing on Thrasher's. "Get me out of here!" Kajiki yelled at Thrasher, who complied in a mechanical manner. Luffy landed on the sea-cow, who was appropriately scared shitless by the level of Haki that Luffy was now unconsciously unleashing. "**Follow them**," he commanded, and the cow swam after the fleeing Kajiki like his big life depended on it. The giant mammal could feel the Haki on an instinctual level that beings up the cognitive ladder could not reach, and was in a way even more afraid than the humans and mermen witnessing the event. And it was that very fear that led Momoo, the loyal pet of Arlong, to forget all his training and carry Luffy after Kajiki.

The Straw Hat crew, left on the shore against Arlong's crew, was broken from their brief shock by the sound of Kuroobi's voice. "Well, it seems like it's time that we fight back. You hang back Arlong-sama; Arlong Park would surely crumble were you to fight now." The crew watched as Arlong's lieutenants started to prepare for battle, while about a third of the mermen crew that was still conscious gathered behind them, Arlong watching it all with a calm arrogance, seemingly unfazed by Luffy's punch.

Sanji spoke, claiming his own kill for himself. "I'll take that big one; he'll pay for insulting Nami-san." Zoro shrugged, before drawing his blades and trying to ignore his injury. "Fine with me; I want that octopus." Gin shrugged, swinging his tonfa to build up momentum. "I'm fine with the small-fry; that leaves the weirdo with the lips to Nose-san and the lady." So saying, each opponent stared each other down, though Usopp was quite obviously shaking in his boots. Then, by some unseen signal, the two crews attacked. And thus the Straw Hat crew got their first taste of the Grand Line's power.

* * *

Nami and Usopp, in what was quickly becoming routine, were teaming up. Their opponent was Chew, Arlong's marksman. Thankfully, the villagers of Cocoyashi had realized that they really were just there as witnesses, and that they wouldn't actually be doing any fighting. And so, they had broken into two groups and moved to the side of the road, giving Nami and Usopp room to maneuver. Nami, who in all honesty was a tad high on endorphins and wasn't entirely there, was warming up with her staff, while Usopp was trying to reduce his shakes to at least the level needed to shoot straight.

Chew regarded them with obvious contempt. "You really disappoint me, Nami-san. You know better than any human here the invincibility of the mermen. Arlong-sama favors you: you could have had anything you'd ever wanted. Clothing, jewelry, libraries of rare maps. Instead, you betray us and align yourself with this no-name crew. Not only that, you provoked rebellion among the villagers of Cocoyashi. You're defying nature by standing up like this."

Nami glared at Chew, years of pent-up anger and hatred mingling with her Haki as it came out of her in frequent pulses, like some ethereal heartbeat. The air around her became loaded with her inner feelings, making those around her feel like they were breathing the fumes off an enraged beast. Chew appeared unimpressed, the people of Cocoyashi watched Nami in fear and awe, while Usopp barely even noticed, this being an almost daily occurrence on the ship. Nami glared Chew in the eye. "I couldn't care less about Nature or whatever. My nakama have shown me how to be strong. Get this through your head: You. Are. Going. Down."

Usopp glanced at Nami from the corner of his eye. "Oi, Nami, aren't you laying it on a little thick? This guy's a merman, and we're still the weakest on the crew, even compared to the new guys!" Nami's response was to shrug. "Yeah, but our crew is so strong it's stupid. The two of us are enough to take on this guy. He's the weakest out of Arlong's lieutenants for a reason." This seemed to light a fire under Chew's anger. He started cracking his neck, preparing himself for his water attacks. Nami settled into her stance, while Usopp, giving into the inevitable, pulled back his slingshot in preparation for the first shot.

Gen watched with bated breath. _'Nami, you have found some powerful nakama, and this new power of yours are frightening. But…'_ Gen turned his gaze to Chew, Arlong's third mate, whose powerful water blasts had leveled the forest that once occupied the space of Arlong Park. _'Is it enough for you to take on this enemy?'_ Gen's thoughts were mirrored in Nojiko's, who was watching Nami with fear in her heart. The tattooed bluenette had comforted Nami during the long decade she had spent honing her thievery skills. The sister she had held was a stubborn yet miserable girl in way over her head. Standing in front of Nojiko was a proud, confident woman who wasn't going to take any bullshit whatsoever. Nojiko just couldn't wrap her head around this 'new' Nami, and so was even more afraid than she would normally have been: her fear of Nami coming to harm joined by her fear of Nami, period.

Nami, quasi-surprisingly, made the first move. She dashed forward, already swinging her staff to build momentum. As Chew's mouth started to swell, Nami smirked and murmured to herself "Large blast, twelve o'clock." Right on cue, a large ball of water came straight at Nami, who was already dodging. "Block, high kick," Nami continued in a smug tone, speaking just before Chew brought up his arms to block her staff. Nami then threw her self to the left, dodging the kick Chew had aimed at her chest. Before Chew could react, Nami ducked, allowing Usopp's well-aimed shot to impact Chew's right eye.

Chew clutched his eye in agony, though he remarkably stayed silent. Chew was glaring at Nami, who appeared cool as a cucumber. "What dirty trick are you using, human?" the archerfish merman asked hotly, assuming Nami was cheating in some way. Nami grinned like a pleased cat, unknowingly heralding her future nickname. "What's the matter, Chew? Surely the superiority of mermen would trump my little psychic thing? I mean, you should be so awesome and invincible that my knowing what you're doing before you do shouldn't matter." All of this was said in a sarcastic tone that even Luffy would notice.

Chew growled as only those deeply connected with nature could, a predator's snarl that normal humans simply could not recreate. Enraged, Chew took the special canteen he always carried and filled his mouth to bursting. Nami watched, the playful glee leaving her expression as she got serious: this could hurt. "Usopp, I'd suggest you move a few steps to your left." The marksman, having seen time and again on the ship Nami's ability, knew that he should follow the order. As Usopp got out of dodge, Nami calmed her breathing, tensing her body to avoid the attack to come.

The canteen was a black-market device based off one of Marine Science Captain Vegapunk's vaguer ideas. In layman's terms, the bottle was about ten times bigger on the inside than the outside. Chew drained it dry, his body expanding like a balloon from so much water. Nami was surprised Chew was using this so soon, since it was his strongest attack and a major make-it-or-break-it tactic. Chew must have been confident it would take her out. The confidence was deserved: Nami wasn't sure she could make it. Well, too late to back out now. Gathering her courage, Nami yelled "Bring it on, you bottom-feeder!" Chew's eyes flashed in anger: that was a serious merman insult.

"Hundred-Shot Water Gun!" Chew proclaimed, before expelling all his water in the form of rapid-fire water bullets. Having ensured Usopp's safety by keeping the attention on herself, Nami could only hope to dodge. And so, Nami began her desperate dance. Knowing when and where the shots were coming was a major advantage, but Nami wasn't some dancer or speed freak. She avoided each shot by the skin of her teeth. If she'd been alone, she'd have been screwed. As it was, Nami only risked death for eight seconds.

A bottle of liquor was thrown from Usopp's hand straight for Chew's death. With the ease of born talent, Usopp lined up his shot even as Chew was turning to face the projectile. "Eat this! Kayaku Boshi!" The gunpowder pellet flew through the air, piercing the bottle just as it came within range of Chew's face. The powder ignited, its explosive force tripled by the accelerant that was the alcohol. Usopp's unconventional Molotov cocktail coated Chew in liquid fire.

Nami watched with cold eyes as Chew started screaming in pain, his sensitive merman skin going up like a torch. Sweating from her brief but intense exertion of dodging, Nami gathered herself before dashing forward. Her staff was soon stuffed with Haki as Nami brought the weapon around like a baseball bat. "This is for Cocoyashi! Nami's Vengeance!" With that, Nami's staff squarely hit Chew's face, sending his body twirling through the air from the force behind the blow. He landed in the courtyard pool. When he resurfaced, it was his back that floated up.

Nami stood frozen, before the toll of the battle caught up with her. Trembling with the aftereffects of adrenaline, Nami fell to the ground, barely managing to remain dignified and do so like a lady. Usopp came forward and laid a supporting hand on the navigator's shoulder. Nami looked up at Usopp, before laughing in relief. She'd finally done it. She'd gotten back at Arlong's crew, even if it was only at a lieutenant. Nami faced the battles in the courtyard, the last vestiges of her old life falling away, like a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon.

* * *

Gin was definitely having trouble. The policy of the Kreig pirates had generally been throwing a bunch of numbers at a crowd and hoping for the best: only Kreig had possessed the necessary firepower to take on multiple opponents. Gin's focus had been the heartless slaughter of the stronger pirate's one at a time. However, he was currently surrounded by a bunch of opponents stronger than any man he'd ever faced. Hindsight was an absolute bitch.

'_Look on the bright side,'_ the ex-commander thought to himself bitterly. _'I'm learning how to fight off crowds. I'd just like it more if it wasn't in a do-or-die situation.'_ While Gin was certainly out of his element, he was still putting up a decent fight. And, hey, his job was to distract the grunts while all the heavy hitters were being taken out. Gin wasn't going to allow himself to fail at his first real job on his new crew.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gin watched the battles that Sanji and Zoro were going through. Zoro looked like he'd gotten the short end of the stick: his opponent insisted on ridiculous tactics that did nothing more than waste Zoro's energy. Considering how much of that was being leeched by his barely-healed wound, that wasn't a good thing. However, Gin knew better than to help the ailing swordsman: if there was one thing Mihawk's duel had taught Gin about Zoro, it was the man's sense of pride. He'd take any assistance as the greatest insult one could give.

Sanji, on the other hand, was toying with his opponent. The two were of equal strength, but Sanji was infinitely more flexible as well as quicker. The smoking chef was engaged in a virtual dance of dodges and counters, his extraordinary kicks hitting the merman in a deadly barrage of combos. Before Gin's eyes, the blond ducked under yet another of the lieutenant's otherwise formidable punches. The manta-ray-merman had overextended, and Sanji capitalized on it. Coming up from the merman's blind side, Sanji screamed "Mouton Shot!" as he delivered an almighty kick to his enemy's side, sending him careening through the walls of Arlong Park before he landed on the other side. Gin sensed Haki in the kick, and for a brief moment felt pity for Kuroobi: 'agony' wouldn't come close to describing the pain he must be feeling.

As if Sanji's victory was some sort of signal, Zoro's fight became much more intense. Zoro charged forward towards Hatchan, suddenly coated in a hazy outline. The octopus, unaware of the fact that Zoro had taken the fight up a notch, merely grinned cheekily as he waved his six swords with moderate skill. "When will you realize, Roronoa-chan? I am a merman, and you're a human; I can wield six swords to your three. There is no way you can win!" So saying, Hatchan chose to end the fight and swung all of his swords in broad arcs that would slice Zoro to ribbons.

Zoro glared at Hatchan, before he vanished before the fellow swordsman's eyes, the merman's blades passing through thin air. Hatchan blinked, before he started looking around wildly for his opponent. "There's something _you_ don't understand," Zoro whispered into Hatchan's ear, his voice as cold, harsh and unforgiving as the heart of winter. The octopus gasped, and futilely tried to turn around to face his enemy. Zoro continued his face devoid of all emotion except for a blank, single-minded focus. The Rokutouryu-user was nothing more than an obstacle, an impediment to be removed.

"There is a world's difference between wielding three swords, and using Santouryu. **Akuma Tatsumaki!**" With that, Zoro concentrated all his energies into his core, and unleashed them in a torrent as he spun on the spot, his swords tools to bent nature to his whims as they stirred the air, gathering it into a whirlwind of slicing wind. An opaque wall of hurricane-force winds swept Hatchan off his feet and swung him into the air remorselessly, wounds opening across the merman's body as if he were being tortured by invisible demons. And all the while, Zoro stood in the center of the gale, the shadow of the wind and the distortion of the Haki serving to twist his outline into that of a monstrous creature: the demon had shone his true colors and delivered wrath upon his enemies.

The wind dissipated, and a full second later Hatchan landed on the ground. A spider web of cracks, originating from the point of impact, appeared in the concrete. The octopus was a mess, looking as if he'd been thrown into the shredder. Cuts of all sizes, depths, and raggedness covered his body, making him look more like a bloody carcass than a merman. In some divine symmetry, the merman's swords all fell near his hands, burying themselves into the ground. Any closer and the octopus would have been crucified.

Zoro didn't exactly fall limp to the ground, but he came close. His swords clattering to the ground, the moss-head took a well-deserved rest. Gin was fine with that: his problem was solved. The fringes of Zoro's mini-cyclone had taken out a good chunk of the grunts with debilitating slashes. The remainder left had been so demoralized that they barely put up a defense to Gin's crushing blows. In short order, the common pillagers of Arlong's crew had fallen to the cannonball-tonfa. Gin surveyed his handiwork, grinning to himself. _Damn, I'm good._

Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, acting as if taking down pirates was a daily occurrence for him. It wasn't an act though, it was the truth. Tempting lung cancer, the cook turned to face Zoro. "Wow, you look beat. It's not like you had a tough guy to fight. Is the demon out of shape?" Zoro delivered his best death glare, the one where his pupils disappeared and his smoky irises were brought into full focus. "You're one to talk, ero-cook. It took you how long to take down that muscle head? Were you too busy trying to ogle the navigator?" Sanji took the jab good-naturedly, i.e. he bonked Zoro on the head with a boot. Zoro growled, but didn't feel the need to waste his energy seeking payback.

This friendly (by their standards) exchange would have continued, had not a bone-chilling growl swept through them. Looking up, the three pirates found themselves facing the enraged face of Saw-Tooth Arlong. His eyes were filled with a mix of fiery anger, tempestuous remorse and cold hatred that all mixed together into the most frightening thing the Straw Hats had seen, surpassing even Luffy's transformation. Arlong had murder in his eyes, and the three battle-weary warriors were in his sights.

* * *

There is an infinite string of connections and bonds, both physical and spiritual, which intertwine all that is, was, and will be. All of these bonds can be broken, rearranged, and in some cases changed. The only thing needed is energy. The only form of energy in existence that could affect both types of bonds was Haki, the energy of a persons' soul given physical presence by the intensity of human will and emotion. In theory, a skilled enough user of Haki could become a god, rearranging everything around him with the force of his power.

Not that Luffy had any idea about the fine mechanics behind all this. He just knew that he Haki could hit from a distance.

The two pirates had been engaged in a constant chase of cat and mouse, their mounts either too brainwashed or too afraid to complain about the harsh exertion. Luffy held the advantage in that a glancing blow from him would insure the merman's defeat. Said merman, however, could breathe underwater, which was the one place Luffy couldn't go. However, what the merman had certainly not counted on was the sonar-like pulses of Haki that Luffy constantly let loose from his nigh-limitless stores of energy.

Haki, like sound and kinetic force, moved differently in water. In this case, it was condensed. If Luffy expelled a one-second burst of moderate force, when it hit Kajiki it was a blow from a tank shell that lasted an instant. Kajiki would run away as far as he could while withstanding these attacks, before surfacing and running away once again. And all the while, the Haki wore away at the mental walls that Kajiki had instilled in Thrasher, gradually bringing back our favorite background character to his senses.

"Give me a damn _break_!" Kajiki roared in mild desperation, his odds becoming increasingly bleak as the Straw Hat captain refused to stop chasing him. "What is your problem? It's just a dumb animal!" Anger and frustration had robbed Kajiki of his common sense, apparently. No sane creature would dare risk antagonizing Luffy when he was already out for blood. Kajiki realized his brief lapse, but by then it was too late.

Luffy was almost foaming at the mouth. His self-control, severely tried by the sight of his converted pet, broke. Whatever mercy that Calm Luffy might have held disappeared as Angry Luffy decided that it was time to end this. Cocking back a palm, Luffy stared with dead eyes into Kajiki's, who had turned to survey the boy's reaction, only to see his approaching doom. **"You will never touch my friends again. Royal Strike!"** With that, Luffy threw a palm strike straight at Kajiki. Instead of stretching his hand, he merely let his compacted, fully-focused Haki fly. Kajiki didn't even get the chance to scream as the raw force of an atomic bomb collided with his chest, reducing his ribs to dust and collapsing his internal organs right before he was thrown at speeds that broke the sound barrier through the air. He landed twenty klicks away, the water around him becoming stained a cloudy pink.

Luffy stared at his palm, unaware of the fact that Mohmoo had finally succumbed and fallen unconscious. Some small part of Luffy took a dark joy in what he'd just done, in meting out retribution to his enemies in the most violent way possible. The rest of Luffy was filled with self-loathing terror. As Luffy steadily sank closer to sea level, his thoughts whirled like an over-caffeinated hamster on his wheel: whirling frantically, getting nowhere. _'Gods, what am I? How can I hold this kind of power and not be some hideous monster? Maybe I am. I'm a freak of nature as it is. I'm not human anymore. I'm made from rubber; how is that in any way human? And the killing… how can it be so easy? Shouldn't it be a little harder to end a life?_ _Maybe it's just because I'm good at it, which means I _am_ a monster.'_

Luffy's feet touched the water, but our hero didn't even notice the sudden leeching of his strength, too preoccupied with his self-destructive thoughts. _'How can I face my crew now? They've seen me now, seen what I'm keeping under this mask. How could they still see me as a nakama? No, they can't. No one loves a monster. The minute I return, they'll start hating me. Usopp… he gave up everything for me; how can he not hate me? Zoro… he sees everything as a threat. I'm not sure I could take him looking at me like that. And Nami…'_ Luffy felt a deep ache in his chest as he thought of the red-headed navigator. He had no idea what his confused feelings for her meant; all he knew was that picturing her disgusted expression when she saw him, her words as she denounced him for the vile creature he was, felt like a knife in his heart.

It was incredible how much one death could affect our happy-go-lucky captain, but death is never a good thing. Even when it's done for noble or necessary reasons, it does nothing but hurt those left behind. Life, the purest thing there was, wasn't meant to be ended prematurely. The act of taking another's life, of _murder_, left a vacuum in the natural order of things, a vacuum that sucked up every good or happy feeling it could find. Should a tyrant be put down, those loyal to him will still grieve. Should a thief be hanged, his family will feel the loss. Even those twisted souls that had nothing and meant nothing to anyone left a void, a dissonance in the natural harmony that would eventually right itself through a negative reaction somewhere down the lane.

No matter how soiled or abused, life is a gift that was never meant to be returned early.

Just as Luffy was about to sink below the surface, something swum up beneath him to support him. The Royal Strike had been like an EMP on Kajiki's training, the Haki bypassing all the mental blocks to resonate with Thrasher and all his memories of Luffy. Restored to his senses, the oddly gentle beast comforted his friend as best he could. A Sea King doesn't feel the bonds of companionship. Lower fish fled with fear, and fellow Sea Kings were either rivals to intimidate or mates to impress and dominate. Thrasher had never known what it was to stand on equal ground with someone, until Luffy had come along. Determined to give him a second chance after he'd maimed Shanks, Luffy had slowly worked himself into Thrasher's life. The predator had learned peace as the kind boy had taught him how to relax for the first time in his Darwinist lifestyle.

Luffy felt the warmth of the scale beneath him and the low rumble of Thrasher's growl as he slowly returned to himself. Luffy looked down at his pet, absentmindedly petting the large head he rested on. "Hey there, boy. You forgot about me for a little there." Thrasher gave what Luffy recognized as an apologetic whine. "It's okay. You weren't yourself." Luffy laid his head down, his self-doubt melting away with the presence of his pet. "You don't think I'm a monster, do you?" Luffy had to suppress a chuckle as Thrasher shook his head side to side incessantly, almost hurling the teenager back into the sea.

"Thanks, boy. I needed that." Getting his feet under him, Luffy turned back towards Arlong Park, now a speck in the distance. "Come on, Thrasher. Time to kick Arlong's ass."

* * *

Gin fell back, his spine straight as he landed spread-eagle on the ground. It would have seemed relaxed, if it weren't for the fact that his floating ribs were snapped like twigs. You could see the ugly, unnatural bulges in his skin through his jacket. The ex-battle commander stared at the sky, his eyes hazy with pain. Lying down seemed good. It hurt too damn much to do anything else. He didn't scream, not out of manliness, but simply because he didn't have enough air to waste on such a thing. Despite all this, Gin managed to maintain his wry sense of humor. _'Alas, poor dignity. I knew thee well. To think, I was beaten by _water_.'_

These were not the ramblings of a pain-hazed mind. Arlong had spent the past few minutes taking great joy is displaying the power of his natural element. Of course, no one had a frickin' clue how he did it. Nami and Usopp watched with mild horror from the sidelines, shocked at how easily their nakama had been felled. Usopp muttered "What in the world is going on? It looks like he's just throwing around some water, but the guys look like they're being socked in the gut." Nami could only watch in mounting despair. All that effort to prove Arlong didn't own her, dragging all her friends and family here… only for her captor to tear her friends to metaphorical pieces. Using a _puddle._

Sanji clutched his chest, delivering his best one-eyed glower at the smugly grinning Arlong. "This is ridiculous. He's just splashing us, but it feels like a shotgun blast." Zoro grunted, lacking the focus to do anything else. The fever had risen, and the wound had reopened. Zoro was currently coasting in a fog of delirium, unable to form any coherent thought. Sanji could sense this, and growled to himself. Hell's bells, how was he supposed to protect a lady's honor when his enemy could cream him with a sprinkling of water?!?

Arlong chuckled at Sanji, the sound itself one of the most malevolent things Sanji had ever heard. "Do you finally see? This is the difference between us. My species is superior! Nature has made me better in every aspect!" Laughing maniacally, Arlong threw another batch of water. Sanji valiantly tried to charge, but he couldn't manage to avoid the nearly-invisible drops. Just like Gin, Sanji collapsed. Enough was enough, and Sanji just couldn't take another blow like that.

Zoro growled. He could literally feel the oppressive fog of the fever, closing in on his thoughts. He had less than a minute until oblivion took him. Might as well make it count. The world shrank to the maniac in front of him, and Zoro charged. Swords lifted, rent the air… and were completely dodged by a grinning Arlong. Zoro pressed his increasingly feeble attack, but he just couldn't hit the surprisingly quick merman. Arlong grew tired of playing with the swordsman, and his hand lunged forward to catch his throat.

Arlong chuckled as Zoro hung limp in his grip, lacking the strength to even struggle. The only sign that the swordsman was even conscious was the wholehearted, if weak, glare sent towards Arlong. The tyrant chuckled in amusement. "I must say, you are one of the biggest annoyances I've ever had to deal with. But what's with this little bandage of yours?" Arlong tore off the stained bandages, curious as to what the heck the former bounty hunter was hiding, and instantly regretted it.

Gruesome didn't even begin to cover it. The cut was a perfect diagonal from Zoro's left shoulder to his right hip. The tanned skin and impressive musculature that attested to the man's training and commitment had parted seamlessly to shine light on that which was never meant to see the sun. Through the steady stream of blood that welled up from the wound, Arlong could just make out the off-white of bone and the grisly rainbow of various organ tissues. The merman was a sadistic harbinger of death and suffering, but even _he_ had limits. No sequence of words existed that could properly describe how utterly wrong and nauseating this injury was.

Arlong's hand loosened in shock. As Zoro wheezed in a frail attempt to regain his breath, Arlong had to fight down a mixture of bile… and fear. This man, this puny _human_, had decimated one of his best men with THAT injury the entire time? It was impossible, and yet the evidence continued to stare Arlong in the face as Zoro's life essence was eagerly drunk up by the sun-cracked concrete of Arlong Park's courtyard.

Nami felt ill. Revulsion demanded that she show everyone what she had for breakfast, yet guilt decreed that she deserved the burn of the bile in her throat. Zoro had helped her so much, fought against such strong opponents, while all the while he should have been in a hospital. Nami's rational side assured her that it was more Zoro's pride than his friendship with her that led to this, but the navigator felt disgusted with herself all the same.

Usopp and the good portion of the villagers lacked the self-restraint Nami had. The stench of vomit permeated the air as people gave into sympathetic retching. Dr. Nako coped by going off on a tangent regarding the injury in relation to his professional sense of treatment. "That young man is bat shit insane, or else retarded! With that severe an injury, he should be in a theater or at least on medication. Any normal person would need a year to recover from that injury, if they did at all!" Nojiko covered her eyes as her almost-father Genzo held her, as they both felt their hope start to wither under the onslaught of Arlong's continued victory.

Arlong regained his composure, once again secure in his bloodthirsty persona. "Aw, does the little cut hurt the poor human?" he said, mocking him with every syllable. Arlong drew back his foot, and delivered a purely sadistic kick to Zoro's chest. The swordsman clenched his teeth, but even the Cocoyashi natives heard the animal-like sound of pain that escaped his lips. Usopp felt rage begin to coil in his chest as Arlong continued to torture Zoro in the cruelest way possible. It would have been kinder to kill Zoro; this was infinitely more demeaning. Usopp would be the first to admit that he was a coward, but when it came to his nakama, he had nerves that would make titanium seem like tin foil. Zoro was one of the people Usopp would trust his life with without any hesitation, and he refused to just sit there while this freak treated his nakama like some poor abused puppy!

Usopp charged, ignoring the cries of shock and fear from the people behind him. "USOPP HAMMER!" the proud liar screamed as he let loose his psychic battle cry. Haki flew in a jangled tumble due to Usopp's chaotic emotions as he moved to beat Arlong's skull to mush. Of course, it didn't work out that way. Arlong looked up from every petty villain's wet dream to see the marksman fling himself at him. Arlong growled in frustration. When would these humans get the point? He was invincible!

Just as Arlong drew back his fist to smash Usopp's face in, an unexpected third party intervened. "USOPP, DUCK! GOMU GOMU NO WHIP!" Usopp reacted instantly: captain's orders. Arlong barely had time to gasp before a sandaled foot with enough momentum to crack a boulder impacted with his chest. For the second time that day, the shark merman flew horizontal into a wall.

A ragged cheer went up among the villagers, though some of them were still gagging. Usopp and Nami couldn't suppress their grins as Luffy jumped off Thrasher's head onto the ground of Arlong Park. Nami still had her doubts about Thrasher, but she was still delighted to see he was normal again. Disturbing or not, her captains' giant, playful guard dog of a serpent was a delightful constant in her experience as a Straw Hat, and she was glad to see the pet back to normal. Usopp was just glad that he didn't have to commit suicide anymore.

Luffy cracked his knuckles as he glared at the slowly emerging Arlong. Luffy looked at the defeated forms of his nakama, and felt a cold fury grow in his gut. "Usopp, get these three out of here. I don't want them to get hurt in the fight." Usopp nodded, all to glad to back out now that Luffy was taking care of the problem. Usopp, with the help of Nami and Nojiko, managed to get the injured Straw Hats out of dodge just as Arlong recovered.

Arlong cracked his neck, while his scowl deepened. He might be arrogant, but he wasn't blind. The humans had been surprisingly strong, and they all deferred to this boy with respect. In Arlong's survival of the fittest world, that meant that Luffy was the strongest. The hits were good hints, as well. Arlong felt the rage built up in him at the continued efforts of the Straw Hats. They were like cockroaches! Still, Arlong tried to reign in the bestial fury. It wouldn't do to lose control. It would be a pain to rebuild the Park.

"So, you got your little pet back. For all the good it'll do you," the merman taunted, only to be met by a fist to the face. Luffy, it seemed, was not in the mood. Luffy drew his arm back, watching Arlong as he clutched his broken teeth. The Straw Hats (the conscious ones, at least), felt a small twinge of fear in their guts. This was not Luffy; it was not-Luffy. Every line of the young pirate's body bespoke of restrained power, and all the tiny quirks that normally conveyed his happy-go-lucky attitude were absent. Luffy clutched his fist, his eyes nearly glowing under his bangs. His hat, at some point, had wound up in Nami's hands, where she clutched it tightly for comfort.

Arlong swore under his breath. Then, of all things, he began to laugh. Laughter that was too close to insanity to be entirely comfortable rang through the air as the captain of the Arlong pirates held his shattered teeth. Luffy raised an eyebrow in mild confusion, and that eyebrow was joined by its brother as Arlong harshly jerked his own teeth right out of his mouth. Before their eyes, a new set of teeth grew back in within seconds. Arlong continued chuckling. "Sorry, did you forget I was a merman? I possess the power of the shark! My teeth will always grow back, stronger and stronger each time!" So saying, the tyrant tore out two more sets of teeth, holding them like castanets in his hands.

Luffy took his stance, ready for anything. To all those paying attention, it was clear that there was a heat haze around him. Oddly enough, none of the Straw Hats, those most attuned to Luffy's Haki, could feel it. It was as if Luffy was refusing to let any of it go towards them. Before they could puzzle out what this could possibly mean, Arlong charged. Luffy dodged a swipe from Arlong's detached chompers, and kept on dodging as the madman kept right on coming. Luffy could tell that getting his with one of those strikes would be bad. Of course, he didn't actually _think_ that. He was in fight mode, and his battle instincts had taken the controls in his brain.

Luffy's caution proved well deserved, as he dragged his head to the side to avoid a particularly well-aimed jab. The teeth bit right through the concrete pillar behind him, crushing it into rubble. Nami bit her lip in anxiety. She had full confidence in Luffy, but so far he hadn't thrown a single hit. It seemed as if Arlong had him backed into a corner, though she knew that couldn't be true. What was her captain thinking?

Arlong apparently came to the same conclusion. "What, are you too scared to hit me, pathetic human? Fight back! I want to make you beg for mercy, not kill you without a fight!" Arlong got a cruel grin as he thought of just the right buttons to push. "You must be really weak. I mean, your crew is all so incredibly talented, for humans at least. That blondie can kick; the swordsman is decent enough; even that sick-looking one can throw a punch. All you can do is dodge me! Nami must not have as much of a brain as I thought, if she left me for _you_! Look at you! You can't do anything except lean on those around you!"

Luffy's yelled suddenly, before blowing right through Arlong's defense to deliver a punishing blow to the chest. The air left Arlong's lungs in a rush as he was thrown back by one of the hardest punches he'd ever got. As Arlong picked himself up, oddly dizzy for some reason, Luffy's eyes bored into him as he spoke for the first time since the fight began. "Of course I depend on others. I can't cook, I can't use swords, I can't navigate, and I can't twirl tonfa or navigate the sea. I can't even lie." Usopp didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. Luffy's voice was calm and steady as he continued with his little diatribe. "I know that I can't do everything. That is why I surround myself with strong nakama I can depend on to do the things I can't."

Arlong sneered, still trying to recover from the punch, though he'd never admit it hurt that much. "That's my point, weakling. What can you do?" Luffy looked straight into Arlong's eyes, and for the first time in years, the merman felt fear. Those eyes… they made death seem vibrant. They were so cold and lifeless, with no mercy or compassion whatsoever. The haze around the Fuusha native rippled, as if a slumbering beast was awakening, as Luffy continued to stare unflinchingly into the Arlong's eyes. "I can kill you," the not-boy said in a very quiet voice, before he disappeared.

Arlong's eyes widened, and he started to whip his neck around to look for the boy, but he needn't look that far. Luffy reappeared right in front of Arlong, oddly blurry. The rookie pirate pulled back his fists, before letting fly in a deadly barrage. Arlong felt his body lift off the ground from the force of the hits, but he didn't even have time to fly back as Luffy continued his assault. The pain was excruciating. Every blow felt like a cannonball, and at every impact, a shockwave of barely-visible force flew out. If he had the presence of mind to capture the feeling with words, Arlong would have thought that the waves felt like tuning forks pressed directly to his skeleton, creating a piercing and unbearable ache with each pass. Luffy finished the combo with a roundhouse kick that sent Arlong into the water at about half the speed of sound. The entire process took about three seconds.

Usopp and Nami were amazed. They knew that Luffy could keep pace with Kuro, but they hadn't realized just how fast their captain could be. They had also never seen him attack someone with so little restraint, not pulling any punches. Nami had lived in terror of Arlong since she was a child, and even _she_ felt a twinge of worry for the merman. The blows, quite simply, were just too heavy to be considered human.

The Cocoyashi villagers didn't know whether to run in terror or fall prostrate in awe. For so long, Arlong had appeared invincible. Now, Luffy was hitting harder, faster, and more ruthless than Arlong ever had. And it was obvious to them that he took no pleasure from it. A corpse would have been an open book compared to Luffy. His body betrayed no emotion: no sadistic joy, no empathy, nothing. He was like a vengeful god, a being beyond their understanding (I know I'm over doing it, but I'm trying to capture their mindset. They lived under this dictator for a decade, and he gets toppled by a complete stranger. I feel that the fearful awe would simply transfer).

Sanji, who had regained consciousness, started to reach for a cigarette. _'I have become the subordinate to a very complex man. First he's a kid, now he's an executioner. Maybe I should have thought this through.'_ Gin, who didn't have the strength to sit up, merely watched in an odd kind of approval. "You truly are above Kreig, captain," the bodyguard whispered, ignoring the pain of talking.

Luffy waited for Arlong to fight back. He could tell that the merman was still alive, and was just bidding his time. Luffy focused on the flow of the Haki though him, and briefly contemplated the change he went through when he fully immersed himself. When he became both a pool and a conduit for this deeply spiritual and incredibly powerful force, he felt a change come over him. It was as if the Haki had a life of its own, a sentience that demanded its holder be colder, more regal, more like a king dealing with criminals of the state. No wonder it was called Haoushoku Haki: the presence felt and acted like a king, and acted through the wielder.

Before Luffy's thoughts could wander on a tangent about his quasi-bipolar personality, Arlong attacked. Quick as lightning, the giant launched out of the water, straight as an arrow with his deadly now pointed right at Luffy's chest. Luffy reacted. A blast of Haki, diamond-hard in its density and concentration, collided with Arlong in mid-air. All of the rival captain's momentum was arrested, leaving him flailing in the air. Luffy took his chance. Jumping high in the sky, he brought his feet together, before lunging them in a deadly lance. "**Gomu Gomu no Spear,**" the young man said levelly, his voice echoing with Haki as his feet drove Arlong a foot into the concrete and creating a large dust cloud.

Gravity had just started to reclaim the boy as the cloud cleared, revealing a changed Arlong. Physically, he was the same, but his entire manner had changed. There was no restraint, no conscience, nothing but an incredible tension of anticipation: the gait of a predator. Arlong has surrendered himself to the beast within, and he enjoyed it. "ENOUGH WITH THIS! I'LL KILL YOU!" Arlong lunged forward once more, much faster than before. Luffy couldn't dodge, and he was driven deep into the wall of Arlong Park from the aerial tackle.

A sick grin on his face, Arlong punched right through the wall, and drew from the room within what appeared to be a giant saw. Nami gasped in horror. Kiribachi was only used when Arlong wanted to level everything in sight. Arlong grinned one more as he kicked Luffy straight up just as the pirate captain left his imprint in the wall. Luffy went flying up, Arlong following in a freakish roll, using his sword to literally climb up the tower. Once the two were level, Arlong delivered a crushing blow with Kiribachi, sending Luffy through the wall of Arlong Park into the interior. Nami noticed which room it was. _'Fourth floor, last door on the left… that's my room!'_

Luffy picked himself up, ignoring his injuries. Being made of rubber dulled most blunt trauma, but he was still human. He would be covered in bruises tomorrow. For now, he was merely aching. Shaking his head to clear it, Luffy looked up from his sitting position into the insane eyes of Arlong. The merman held his sword to Luffy's neck, seemingly having the boy at his mercy. Luffy looked around, and took note of the room. The walls were covered with maps, and numerous atlases were stacked around a small work desk. Piles of hand-drawn maps were scattered across the room.

Arlong chuckled, the hint of madness that existed before now fully apparent. "Like the room? It's where Nami makes all my maps. That girl is pure genius. Mermen know the seas like the back of our hands, but we just can't write good maps. The redhead woman has a serious talent. That talent can only belong to me. I can use her so much better than you." Arlong chuckled to himself maniacally, unaware of the freefalling temperature within the room.

Luffy felt disgust well up in him, as he realized the travesty that surrounded him. Luffy reached up and took hold of Kiribachi. Arlong frowned and tried to jerk it out of his grasp, only to widen his eyes in shock when his weapon didn't budge an inch. It was as if it were encased in steel. Luffy's eyes looked up into Arlong's, and this time the eyes were different, just as Arlong's had changed when he lost his cool. Luffy had transformed from a cheerful kid into a cold, unforgiving killer since he first entered Arlong Park. However, the boy had been 'cold' the entire time, calm and in total control.

Luffy's eyes burned with a white-hot, unholy anger that seared Arlong to the depths of his black heart. The avenger god… had become a devil. There was no other way to describe it. The look in Luffy's eyes promised untold suffering that Arlong would not wish on his worst enemy, suffering that would make strong men weep, break proud shoulders, and reduce the victim into a crying, hysterical heap on the ground begging for death to make the pain stop. For a _start_.

"**Use?**" Luffy asked, his voice conveying the fury he felt inside. Fast as thought, the growing king stood up, ripped Kiribachi out of Arlong's hands, and used it to slice half the room's contents in half in one rough motion. Tossing the saw with enough force to implant it in the wall to the hilt, Luffy proceeded to smash the paper, the icons of Nami's suffering and slavery, into unrecognizable pulp.

Arlong gasped his mind blank in a complete, irrational fear. "You can't do this! My maps!" he protested weakly, only to wish he hadn't as those burning coals turned once more on him. Luffy's voice roared with fury and power as he faced down Arlong in his inner sanctum and drove him to his knees. "**THIS ROOM IS NAMI'S SUFFERING! I WILL DESTROY IT AND YOU WITH IT!!!**" With that, Luffy sent his leg straight up, right through the roof to the sky above. As he did, his leg blurred and morphed as more Haki than Luffy had ever called encased it completely.

In the aftermath, onlookers would swear to all they believed in that the leg they had seen exit the roof had turned into a wide blade, sharp and heavy enough to split the earth and allow Mother Nature to bleed for the first time in millennia. They would then speak of an almighty voice rending the air, the voice of ultimate, unforgiving authority and the omnipotent power that came with it. "**ROYAL** **GUILLOTINE!!!**" With that great cry, the blade descended with all the finality of Fate itself. The spectators of this legendary fight, the villagers of Cocoyashi and the nakama of its victor, covered their eyes as Arlong Park was completely and utterly destroyed by this ultimate attack.

Nami stood frozen as the crowd behind her broke and fled. "Nami, we've got to get out of here!" Nojiko yelled, as Usopp, Genzo, and Dr. Nako grabbed the defeated Straw Hats and carried them away. Nami resisted her sister's pull, her eyes fixed on the imploding building in front of her. _'LUFFY!'_ she screamed in her head, all her thoughts concerned with worry and fear for the fate of the captain that had transcended humanity to help her. Nami had heard tales of those that ruled the Grand Line, great men that could topple mountains with one punch. Never before had she believed that level of power was accessible, until now.

It took a full ten minutes for the ear-shattering rumble to die down and the dust to clear. The villagers and the Straw Hats hesitantly approached, searching desperately for some sign of their hero. Nami was just about to rush in and turn the rubble that once was Arlong Park over to find Luffy, when he appeared. Rising from the ashes of his victory, the future pirate king stood tall among the wreckage around him. His eyes locked onto Nami's, and even across the distance she felt an electric thrill go up her spine.

Luffy slowly smiled, as the conquering king let go of his power and became mortal once more. Not-Luffy was gone; the heir of D was back once more. Throwing back his head, the boy yelled at the top of his lungs, proclaiming his feelings for the world to hear. "NAMI! YOU ARE MY NAKAMA!" Nami grinned, and brought up a hand to try and hide her tears. But these were not tears of sorrow; Nami was crying with joy, for the first time in her life. All the tension, fear, and burdens she had carried over the years fell off at once, leaving the woman feeling free for the first time in seven long years.

Luffy walked out of the ground zero he created, as the villagers of Cocoyashi slowly grasped the reality they were faced with. A cheer broke out, which soon grew and tumbled like thunder until it was an undulation that shook the sky! "ARLONG PARK HAS FALLEN!!!!!!!!!!" The crowd rushed forward, leaving the Straw Hats to watch in amusement as their captain was mobbed by grateful villagers. Zoro, who had recovered slightly from his torture, cracked a grin. Gin and Usopp got up and did a merry jig, the former Kreig miraculously revived by the power of laughter, and Sanji took a slow, relaxing drag as he smiled.

Luffy couldn't help but laugh with childlike joy as the crowd threw him up in the air over and over they fumbled the catch and he landed headfirst on the ground, he merely laughed it off. Luffy always loved the time immediately after a battle. Still on a rush the size of the Grand Line, but with no battle to dull the feeling, everything seemed bright and vibrant. Luffy rubbed his head in a casual gesture, only to feel a familiar object be pressed onto his head. He looked up, into the smiling face of Nami. Luffy grinned back, and stood up. He was about to open his mouth to say something, when Nami rushed in and hugged him with all the strength in her body. Surprised, but certainly not complaining, Luffy hugged her back. It was a perfect moment of victory, friendship, and simple joy in holding someone close.

So, of course, something had to come along and ruin it. Ain't no rest for the wicked, after all.

"My, my, it seems that you've done my work for me! How kind of you," Captain Nezumi sneered, backed by his contingent of Marines. Everyone turned to stare at the man, and in most cases it was a glare. Luffy himself felt irrationally frustrated that this man had interrupted his moment with Nami. Unaware of his encroaching doom, the rat-faced man continued. "This is my perfect day! All I have to do is remove you, bring in Arlong, and I'll have all the money to myself!" The extraordinarily arrogant man continued to laugh in that incredibly annoying way, until someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around, annoyed, only to have his heart stop when he looked into the merciless eyes of Zoro. "People are rejoicing. Don't interrupt them." Nezumi looked past the man, and paled drastically when he saw all of his men down. How on earth had this no-name taken down all his men? Nezumi suddenly got a subzero chill down his spine, and he hesitantly turned around into the pissed-off faces of the Straw Hat Pirates and the villagers of Cocoyashi. The man whimpered.

The next ten minutes or so were spent delightfully pummeling Nezumi into a bloody pulp. Aware of the corruption of this particular Marine, the people of Cocoyashi cheered them on. When the pirates finally let up, Nezumi looked like a modern art piece meant to reflect the abuse of the soul. Nami, who had stayed back so far as to better cackle, picked the man up by his left ear. "You are going to pay back these villagers for all the money Arlong has stolen. You will never come here ever again. And one more things…" The shadow of a demon appeared behind Nami, as she embraced her inner nature. "GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY!" she yelled, punting Nezumi as she did.

The corrupt captain positively flew across the water. He regained consciousness when he hit the water, and he took his chance to threaten them with no backing. "You! Straw Hat! I'll make you pay for this! There won't be a bounty hunter or Marine that won't know your name! You hear me? You will be hunted down if it's the last thing I do!" His answer was the hurling of his men straight at him. Screaming like a little girl, the man fled, leaving his assaulters to laugh their asses off.

"How do you think he knew I'd be Pirate King?" Luffy asked, only to make his crew laugh even harder. Nami laughed the loudest out of all of them, reveling in the feeling. The villagers of Cocoyashi dispersed, eager to spread the news of their salvation to every corner of the island. Arlong Park had fallen! They were free!

* * *

When Commi Island threw a party, it threw it into the stratosphere. It was the third day of nonstop celebration, and every second had been spent with the joyous citizens getting drunk on freedom, happiness, and good 'ol booze. Every one of the Straw Hats was treated as guests of royalty. Luffy had been allowed to eat to his heart's content, and had thus eaten the island out of the next ten years, not that anyone cared. Sanji had been flirting with every girl in sight, and since he had taken part in the liberation, some of the women actually paid attention to him. Usopp became the official conductor of the nightly festivities, yelling 'his' heroic tales and the soundtracks to them until he went hoarse. Gin and Zoro, after being treated (which was not fun), spent most of their time in quiet corners, drinking calmly with smiles on their faces.

Nami, on the other hand… well, no one could find her. Dr. Nako said he'd seen her when she came in for tattoo removal, which made perfect sense to everyone who knew her. However, she seemed to have disappeared after the operation, leaving her friends curious, and in some cases worried. Sanji was the sole member of the latter party, everyone else knowing that Nami needed some time to adjust to everything. In between feasts, Luffy wondered where she was, but he'd get distracted by the latest course.

Finally, near midnight, the redhead finally turned up. Luffy, who was full for the first time he could remember, was relatively calm, trying an exotic brew while listening to the music. The navigator walked up to him from the side, and tapped him on the shoulder. Luffy turned to her, and couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his face. "Nami! We've been looking for you! Where you been?"

Nami smiled, and Luffy was struck speechless by how beautiful she looked. Not that he understood any of his feelings for her; he was completely clueless about women, as he was on most subjects. In his defense, women were inarguably the most subtle, complex creatures on the face of the planet. The redhead answered "Oh, I've just been taking care of some stuff. Saying goodbye…" she trailed off, and Luffy could see a fondness in her eyes that told him she was thinking of her family.

Just then, the music slowed down considerably, and a lone violinist stepped forward, before he began to play a haunting, mellow tune. It was rich and vibrant, no less dull than it would be if it were played as a jig. It took Luffy a second, but he recognized the waltz. "Oh, Shanks used to sing this all the time. He said that it went out of style before he was born, but it used to be a kind of anthem for pirates." Nami grinned as Luffy energetically recalled his childhood hero. She herself found the tune delightful.

Nami looked around, and noticed all the couples dancing. A nervous little flutter took home in her belly. She couldn't help but remember the disembodied shove she was certain Bellemere had given her. Nami was certain that her mother's spirit was encouraging her to do what her heart told her. And right now, her heart was screaming at her to dance with Luffy. Nami looked back at the boy, almost like she was measuring him. Luffy didn't notice.

Nami would admit that she was attracted to the boyish pirate, both for his bumbling charm and his obvious strength. There wouldn't be any harm in exploring how far a potential relationship could go. However, she was hesitant. Despite her mild seduction skills, she was as inexperienced as Luffy. She'd never had the time, energy, or inclination to have any significant other. But, she couldn't deny that she wanted to get close to Luffy. How close and in what way, she wasn't sure. Nami took a deep breath, and took the plunge.

"Luffy, would you like to dance?" Luffy blinked at Nami, his words dying in his throat. Something seemed to have snapped in his brain when Nami asked him that question. His libido, long ignored and unnoticed, leapt at the chance. Luffy found himself holding Nami to his chest and swaying slightly to the beat of the mild waltz. The boy briefly wondered why the hell he was doing this, but then he breathed in the scent of Nami's hair, and suddenly he didn't care.

The slightly awkward couple didn't do much dancing, barely moving side to side with the tempo. Both couldn't have cared less. They both felt a wondrous delight in moving with the other, and none of them felt any urge to stop anytime soon. Gin who was watching from afar, grinned and nudged Zoro next to him. The first mate looked at the couple, and grumbled. "Great, now we've got to deal with a hormonal Luffy." If one looked closely, however, one would notice the slight grin on the swordsman's face. Usopp saw them out of the corner of his eye, but decided that it wasn't any of his business. Sanji sank to the ground crying when he caught sight of them, but swiftly forgot when a pretty brunette held him and asked what was wrong.

The music slowly died down, as the victors slowly fell asleep, the party of their victory and the newfound freedom of Nami's homeland coming to a close. Both the captain and his navigator slept with smiles on their faces, remembering the embrace of the other.

**

* * *

I respond to four month's delay with the longest chapter I have ever written. Things are heating up, huh? Please forgive me for the delay; I promise the next one will come sooner. By how much, I can't reliably promise. Please review, and enjoy your life. Ja ne.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Please prepare for the awesomeness that is the Loguetown arc. Batteries to power, turbines to speed, and 's hit it!**

* * *

The day was slow, hot, and boring. At least, it was for the veteran Straw Hats. For Sanji and Gin, it was hell on earth. The two poor, unfortunate souls had asked Luffy how to use Haki and… well; we've already gone over this. While Luffy tortured the ship's cook and ship's guard, as Gin had been officially assigned, with the best of intentions, the rest of the crew went about their hobbies. The screams of mercy and death threats from their two newest nakama provided an amusing background noise.

A nervous pelican found itself the object of Nami's ire, as it waited dutifully for more payment. "Are you kidding me? They increased the prices again!" Nami waved her arms about, generating annoyance and Haki almost unconsciously, which of course made the bird even more frightened. Reluctantly, her thirst for knowledge triumphing over her avarice in a bloody victory, Nami withdrew another coin and dropped it in the pelican's pouch. The fee paid, the bird allowed the scary woman to take a newspaper before it took to the skies at a full aviation sprint.

Usopp, who was doing his mad scientist impression, looked up from his current work. "I don't see why you're still so stingy, Nami. It's not like you need to save up to free your village anymore." Nami glared at the marksman as if he had just thrown a bloody carcass at her. "That's my point, Usopp! Now I get to keep every cent for myself!" Usopp shook his head, and returned to his latest concoction.

Zoro was training insanely, as per usual. Shirtless and drenched in sweat, the swordsman was lifting massive weights in each hand and swinging them like swords, whilst holding a smaller weight with his teeth and maintaining perfect balance. In a parallel dimension, Zoro just did calisthenics and two-armed swings. This Zoro, who had his eyes opened to just how big the power gaps could be between him and someone from the Grand Line, trained as obsessively and psychotically as he had when he was training to fight Kuina.

Zoro had attained a state of ultimate focus. Every twitch of his muscles was noted, compensated, and otherwise used to help the greater whole. The world had shrunk to himself and his weights, the outside world nothing more than a set of distractions that he paid no heed. "7,896… 7,897…" the man gasped to himself, while his inner thoughts reflected on his, comparative, weakness. _'I couldn't even touch Mihawk! My Haki was all but worthless against those mermen! I cannot plateau! I refuse to! I have to keep getting stronger, faster, better, so that I can have that match with Luffy and win!'_ With that mental rant, Zoro upped his training up a notch, starting to move through his various kata while balancing the half-metric ton weights.

Sanji and Gin were huddled together near the aft. The two of them were honestly quivering in their boots. "Where is he, where is he, where the hell is he?" Gin muttered to himself, his eyes swiveling in their sockets like a madman's. Gin had developed a constant tick on his left eye, and his tonfa were jittering from his shaking hands, completing the image of mental institute escapee.

"I don't know. We'd better make a break for it now. There has to be an island nearby, or something," Sanji muttered back, seriously considering jumping ship. A second bout with starvation on a deserted island would be preferable to this freakin' ship of psychotic, well-intentioned horrors. However, before the two recruits from the Baratie could flee to the ocean's cold embrace, they were discovered by a living nightmare.

"Wow, you guys are already trying to run away. Even Usopp lasted longer than this. Whatever, let's continue!" With that Luffy, who had been hanging from the rigging directly above the pair, threw the latest in a long line of 'mild' blasts of Haki. In some dark, bipolar corner of Luffy's soul, the semi-sociopath part that came out when he got dead serious was laughing his ass off as Sanji and Gin flew through the air. _**'Dance, little flies, dance!'**_ Luffy mentally locked his other half in a padded cell. Seriously, why was that guy always ruining his mood? He was handy in a fight, but was terrible everywhere else. It was so much more fun to act dumb than all arrogant like that.

Perhaps we should elaborate rather than simply leaving you with that. As we all know, Luffy is, in general, an utter moron, except on the battlefield, where he becomes a genius. Well, add Haki to the mix, and that divide takes on a life of its own. As Luffy was growing up, he slowly split his personality into two literal halves. The first, dominant half is 'happy' Luffy. This Luffy avoids using his surprisingly large intellect, merely because it's more fun to go with the flow. He refuses to understand the simplest things because he rarely ever actually needs the information, and because others' reactions are hilarious. Slow, but entertained; that is 'happy' Luffy.

Then there's the other half, whom is currently imitating Crypt Oogakari. This half acts like an overzealous bodyguard. It is aware of Luffy's great power, and the threat it represents if sent out of control. Therefore, it acts to remove any and all threats before drastic measures are needed. This is why it normally comes out during fights, to combat enemies that could kill 'him'. However, this half also sees Luffy's nakama as potential threats: the emotional backlash if they died or betrayed Luffy would be catastrophic. Therefore, it constantly tries to convince its host that it is much better to act like a dictator and reduce his friends to nothing more than servants, with the lack of emotional care pertaining. And, if he did it with his nakama, why not just go all the way and enslave the world?

Naturally, Luffy ignores this half's suggestions. However, it wasn't as simple as an on/off switch. Luffy could be tempted, just like any other human being. His pure heart made it unlikely, but the possibility was still there. That's why Luffy tried to avoid any 'serious' use of Haki; the rush of the power always strengthened the voice of his dark side. But the dichotomy of Monkey D. Luffy isn't important right now. We were laughing as he trained Sanji and Gin.

Without even looking up, Usopp leaned to the side as Sanji flew through the space he once occupied. He hadn't cracked Nami's trick of seeing the future; it was just that predictable. "Oi, Luffy, try to aim somewhere else! This is my super-powerful Deluxe Tabasco Star! If anyone gets hit in the eyes with this, it would be a catastrophe!"

Luffy cocked his head to the side. Catastrophe? That sounded cool. Before Luffy could begin his usual destructive idiocy, however, Zoro finished his workout with a massive strike from all three weights. The slipstream and displaced air was enough to send the featherweight ball of evil spicy doom right out of Usopp's fingers and straight into his eyes. The marksman stood still for a second, in a moment of orderly shock.

Then the pain kicked in. An inferno that was as tall as some mountains flew up from Usopp's face, and the extravagant coward went through the standard procedure for such events: running around at supersonic speeds, screaming his ass off. "MY EYES! MY EYES ARE BURNING! SOMEONE PLEASE GOUGE THEM OUT OR SOMETHING! THROW ME INTO THE SEA, STICK MY HEAD IN THE FREEZER, DO _SOMETHING_ YOU CRAZY MANIACS!"

Luffy was laughing so hard that his rubber body was literally shrinking since he was using so much air, like an empty water bottle when someone keeps sucking. Sanji and Gin, while recovering slightly faster than they had the previous episode, were still too indisposed to help their nakama. Zoro calmly toweled himself off, knowing that an actual shower was an unattainable luxury, before throwing his sweaty towel with incredible accuracy straight into Usopp's face. It was unhygienic, sure, but the salty sweat immediately doused the burning.

As Usopp debated whether to be grateful or disgusted, Nami looked up from her paper, which she had been reading from the entire time. "Would you all just calm down! I'm trying to relax here!" Nami shook her head before returning to the news. "The world's going crazy. The Government's grip keeps on slipping: there's a rebellion on St. Elba's right now. Hmm, the Revolutionaries are getting more active, the price on coal's going up, Luffy's got a wanted poster…"

Nami froze. Blinked. Looked back at the article she had just skimmed, complete with the notorious 'Dead or Alive' sign. Not-Luffy stared back at her, his eyes as cold and all-consuming as Death, every line of his boyish face frozen with grim authority and ferocious anger. Even though the photo was hazy, Nami still felt a chill run up her spine. It didn't matter if she faced off against this man or served beneath him: his true face was still something that would haunt her darker dreams. Then, she realized the seriousness of what she was seeing.

"**Everyone!**" Nami yelled her fear and anxiety so tumultuous that she'd imbued her voice without noticing. Everyone immediately ceased what they were doing and paid attention. Nami tore the poster from its loose stitching into the paper and showed it to the crew. Almost all of them at least raised an eyebrow, while Usopp was more elaborate in his reaction. Luffy just narrowed his eyes: seeing what he became when he listened to his other made him agitated.

As Zoro took the poster from her hands to take a closer look, Nami turned back to the paper and read the article alongside it. That alone was disconcerting: very rarely did a pirate get recognized that much as a rookie. "Monkey D. 'Straw Hat' Luffy has made an explosive debut into the dark world of piracy. He has not been active for a month, and yet he has already gathered a highly talented crew of various specialties and faced down and defeated the three largest bounties in the East Blue! Background checks fail to turn up evidence of how it is he has amassed such power so quickly. Scattered witnesses reports have revealed odd and disconnected facts as to his true character. One witness all but screamed when interviewed, raving about his bloodthirsty, unforgiving tactics on the battleground. Yet another witness contradicted this, quoting 'He's the most honorable, kindest young man I've ever met. He acted like an excited schoolboy, not some heartless cretin. Now get out of my kitchen!' Perhaps most disturbing of all, the recently decommissioned Captain Nezumi swore before his arrests 'He's a devil! A devil in a monster's skin! He's got that evil power, that Haki!

"Haki is a mysterious power, misunderstood at the best of times. The greatest Marine Officers and Pirates in history were said to wield its fey abilities. Described poetically as 'the power of a man's heart and soul' its effects are many and varied. As it is found only in the strongest of body and mind, one can only wonder the true depth of Straw Hat's strength. One thing is for sure: a new power is sailing the seas." Nami looked up from the paper, her skin already pale with fright. "Do you understand what this means? Everywhere we go; people are going to be looking for us!"

Her words fell on deaf ears. "Woohoo! Luffy's got a bounty! We're wanted now! Fame and fortune are ours!" Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy were having a victory dance, loudly proclaiming their joy in captain's newfound notoriety. Gin wasn't as boisterous, but a faint smile colored his lips. "We're on the right track now. I just can't believe that they gave a newbie a bounty this high. 45,000,000 Beli! That's some serious cash." Zoro nodded, his hands twitching as he held his swords. "We're going to attract a lot of strong opponents now. We'll get stronger in no time!"

Feminine fury raged through Nami's veins as she whipped out her staff and expertly gave each of the men a Haki-powered bonk to the head, effectively ending all celebration. Like a row of chastised children, they listened to her as she ranted. "Am I the only sane one on this ship? This is a VERY bad thing! Bounty hunters and Marines will be searching for us from here on out! We'll have to watch our step everywhere we go, or we'll get attacked or arrested or worse!"

Luffy looked up, and his eyes were different. Nami stopped in her tracks: Luffy was acting serious, and she was supposed to listen. "We'll be okay, Nami. Marines, they fight for Justice. Bounty hunters, they fight for money. We're different. You all are with me because, like me, you fight for your dreams. Let them come. We'll show them the strength of our ambition!"

A fierce grin split Luffy's face, and Nami was struck by just how complex a person he really was. He was so childish at times, yet at others he was a ruthless beast. Yet no matter which face, he always had that adamantine determination that devotion to what was close to him, be it nakama or his dream.

Nami felt a grin come to her face unbidden, and she let it stay there. _'I should have known. Luffy doesn't care about the Marines; he's just too stubborn to let them stop him. Yet another reason why I feel this way.' _Shaking off her thoughts of her relationship with her captain, Nami got her game face on. "Okay, enough with the bounty. We're all set to go to the Grand Line, but we need to resupply first. I'm not sailing into the Pirate's Graveyard without being prepared."

Pulling out a map from the nebulous dimension that all women seem to have access to, Nami unrolled a sea chart of the local area, allowing everyone to see. "We're right here, and Reverse Mountain, the entrance to the Grand Line, is here." Nami indicated first a random patch of ocean, then the only major landmark on the nearby Red Line.

"The closest port would be Loguetown, the Town of the Beginning and the End. Ironically enough, it's the place where Gold Roger was both born and executed. Most pirates heading for the Grand Line use it for their last stop."

Luffy cocked an eyebrow, and Nami could tell that she'd captured his interest. "Orders, captain?" she asked in an amused tone, as the rest of the crew came to the same conclusion.

Luffy was silent for a moment, before he hopped onto his special seat on the masthead. "The town where Gold Roger was born, and also died… I want to see it." Luffy pointed forward, and yelled "Full speed ahead! Head for Loguetown!"

* * *

At that very moment, a dark stranger in an alley cocked his head. The shadows concealed him, but even with the dim lighting, the pendant he wore proudly around his neck was obvious. It was a piece of obvious craftsmanship: a skull of carved ivory, the head childishly round, with the elongated upper jaw and teeth sticking out from the bottom, almost half the size of the entire piece. Two onyx stones, so lustrous that the glowed even in that low ambience, acted as the eyes. It hung from the stranger's neck by a thin chain of silver. The entire thing looked almost like a keyhole.

"The wind brings new whispers… someone important is on the way." Pushing himself off the wall, the tall stranger, a young man judging by his voice, grinned a grin that would make a Cheshire envious. "It takes a particular person to agitate the spirits so… let's see who he is." With that, the man departed, disappearing even deeper into the shadows. The only sign he had even been there were the disembodied whispers only a rare few could hear. _'He comes… the future comes!'_

* * *

In all customary craziness, the Straw-Hats made their way to Loguetown. Over the five-day period, Sanji grew immune to the Haki. He had even started to use it for himself, though they were merely 'blinks', as the crew had decided to officially term them. If a crew member let loose a brief, light wave of Haki, than it was a blink. Usopp had tried to start a gag involving blinks and Sanji's one eye, but it had crashed and burned.

Gin, on the other hand, was having difficulty. He had developed a resistance to Haki, out of sheer overexposure, but the energy itself remained out of his grasp. Finally, in the middle of one of Luffy's 'practice' sessions, he threw his hands up in defeat.

"Forget it! I'm done! I am sick and tired of trying to use some psychic mumbo-jumbo and nothing happening! Just leave me be!" This highly uncharacteristic outburst was enough to get everyone's attention, even the religiously devoted Zoro in the middle of a routine.

Luffy frowned. Just great. Now he was going to have to think to figure out the problem. Sitting down cross-legged, Luffy puzzled over why Gin couldn't harness the energies of his spirit. Painstakingly slow Luffy's mind may be, but it put things together in interesting ways. It took a bit over an hour, but at last Luffy managed to find an answer.

"Oi, Gin." The ship's guard looked up from where he had been meditating on the deck. Meditation was a habit he had gotten into, in an attempt to deal with the violent chaos that seemed rampant on the crew. He found it strangely fulfilling.

Luffy scratched his head. "I think I figured out why you have more trouble than us. What's your dream?"

Gin, surprised by this disconnected question, cocked his head. He opened his mouth, and then closed it as he realized he didn't have an answer. He'd never had a dream or ambition. His entire life had been reacting through duty to Kreig's orders. Luffy, seeing Gin's hesitance, nodded in understanding.

"You're the most devoted man I've ever met, Gin. But it's not your own passion that drives you. You follow orders and keep your head down. That is the exact _opposite_ of what's needed in a person for Haki to form." Luffy walked to the rail, and leaned on his elbows as he surveyed the sea. Gin, aware of how rare Luffy's insights appeared, paid close attention.

"Haki is not power, it is command. It is the desire to reshape the world to your liking and the determination to make it happen. Those with the will to cast off such measly chains as reason and expectations… those are the ones who sculpt the world with their own two hands. And among these beacons in a world of grey masses, there are those with the charisma and devotion to tame even those wild souls. Those elite among elite, such as I, wield the power of the Haoushoku, the authority of the lords of lords."

Luffy turned to Gin, and the fire that burned in the captain's eyes left Gin speechless. Here he saw, for the first time, the true essence of Luffy, the very core of his being: a being that would alter the world around him without a second thought or great difficulty.

"Sadly, Gin, you are not one of those pillars. You are just another sheep among shepherds. I do not say this as an insult to your strength; it is simply the way you are. And until you break the mold and built yourself up above your fellow man, you will never be able to keep up with this crew."

Luffy walked right up to Gin, and despite the decade separating them, Gin felt as if he were the lesser man. "Grow strong Gin. Learn to conquer the instincts of your spirit. Become a wolf, not a lamb, and maybe you will rule in the age to come." With that, Luffy's seriousness fell like Galileo's cannonballs.

"Oi, Nami! Are we there yet?" Gin blinked as the now-carefree teen left him to his own devices. Once again, Gin marveled at the character that was Monkey D. Luffy. He was a warrior, a child… and a king, all coexisting within this one youth. It boggled the mind.

Shaking his head in stunned bewilderment, Gin set himself upon the task every man must one day face: deciding that which he would give his life for.

Luffy grinned. _'Let's see if that gets him on the right track. Damn, having so many nakama is a lot more responsibility than I figured.'_ Shaking his head of such thoughts, Luffy belatedly realized something was missing.

"Um, guys… has anyone seen Thrasher?" The crew stopped what they were doing, all of them suddenly aware of a… empty feeling in the air. As one, the crew flew to the railing, where alas it was true: the giant silhouette of their favorite Sea King was gone.

"Now where has that overgrown lizard run off to?" Nami muttered, but there wasn't any true venom behind the words. Like the rest of the crew, Nami had grown fond of Thrasher. Once you got used to his size, the serpent was actually a damn good pet. He played when asked, he took care of himself, and he regarded all of them with a fond possessiveness. A bit like an overgrown housecat… with gills… and scales… and enough teeth to send dentists into tears of joy at the thought of the bill.

Worried at the absence of his aquatic nakama, Luffy sucked in breath and let loose a piercing whistle interlaced with the keening tones of Haki. Usopp's goggles creaked in protest, but the sound served its purpose. Like a rat presented with cheese, Thrasher came at the sound of his master's call. Within minutes the giant sea-lizard's head was hovering above them, cocked in confusion.

"Thrasher! There you are. Where have you been?" Luffy asked, his momentary panic replaced by parental curiosity. The response he received, however, merely added to his confusion. Thrasher suddenly seemed to find the sky very interesting, and Luffy could have sworn that the undulations of his long body were the Sea King equivalent of nervous jerking.

It was Usopp's sharp eyes that spotted it first. "Oi, Thrasher! Did you shine your scales? They're a lot shinier today. And when did you clean the rot from your gills… is that an anemone tucked into your head fin?" Said beast's twitching started picking up, and if it weren't for the fact that he was a reptilian monster, the crew could have sworn that he was blushing.

Sanji, an expert on this matter, realized in an instant what was going on. Smirking to himself, he lit a cigarette and turned back to the kitchen. "I think you should let him go, Luffy. We wouldn't want to keep Thrasher away from his new lady-friend, would we?"

The ero-cook's words sent a shockwave through the crew. Luffy's and Usopp's jaws dropped to the ground, Zoro quirked an eyebrow, and Gin and Nami traded conspiratorial grins. Unable to resist, Nami made a sly remark as she returned to her lounger. "Well Luffy; I'd start saving if I were you. It looks like you'll have to start caring for a whole spawn of baby Thrashers in the future."

Thrasher glared accusingly at Nami, but he didn't for too long. Instinct still screamed at him to respect the Sea King mother, for she knew best. Though Thrasher was starting to have his doubts on that front, since mothers rarely stayed in disguise for this long. Then again, this could all be an elaborate test of his obedience.

Luffy was still gaping. Usopp managed to recover, and wisely decided that this was none of this business. Zoro merely shrugged and returned to his training. Luffy and his pet were left alone, where they could mutually fidget and avoid the issue.

Luffy gulped, and closed his mouth. Unsure how to deal with this, he did what he usually did: said the first thing off the top of his head. "So, Thrasher. You found a girl?" Thrasher, acting remarkably intelligent and defying most laws of animal physiology, nodded tentatively.

"How long?" Luffy asked, his surprise slowly ebbing away into a kind of unwilling pride. Thrasher growled in his throat, and dragged his tail across the surface of the water twice. "Two weeks?" Luffy asked, understanding the code perfectly. Once again, his pet Sea King nodded.

"Well… I guess you should go back. You don't want to keep her waiting." Luffy was happy, he truly was. He'd always worried that Thrasher would stay lonely due to hanging out with him. This was a dream come true. The problem was that Sea Kings were fiercely territorial and clung to their mates like glue. The unions generally only lasted a few weeks, but there were cases of mating for life. Luffy was scared that he might lose Thrasher forever to some random female Sea King.

Thrasher looked long and hard at Luffy, whining low within his throat. Luffy could have sworn that, like his own eyes, moisture was beading and threatening to break lose. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Luffy reached out with his rubber limbs and patted Thrasher on the head. "Go on, buddy. Go back."

Keening slightly, Thrasher brought his head down over the ship and nuzzled his master for what might be the last time. Rubbing his long-time companion in a forced manner, Luffy silently let his tears fall. They stayed that way for a minute, before Thrasher broke away and dived into the sea. The massive lizard looked back once, before diving back into the deeps.

Silently, Luffy wiped his tears. He tried to feel happy for Thrasher, but there was a hole his heart now. The spot that once held Thrasher close was now hollow. In the confines of his mind, Luffy heard the whispers begin. He didn't have the strength to ignore them. _**'This is what loss feels like. This is heartbreak. Imagine what it would feel like if one of your nakama left you. Imagine how it would hurt to have Usopp or Zoro or Nami just walk away. You can't let that happen. Get rid of them now. Break them and leave them broken. They can't hurt you then. They can't make you feel like this!'**_

Luffy took in a shuddering breath. _'Shut up,'_ he thought simply, before pushing the darkness back into its cage. If he broke his nakama, they wouldn't be able to hurt him… he'd already be dead. Damaging them would only serve to hurt him even worse than if they'd abandoned him. That's what Luffy tried to tell himself, at least.

Nami, sensing something was wrong, looked over at Luffy. When she saw the utter hurt in his eyes, her heart felt like it was dunked in acid. _'Luffy,'_ she thought, concern and something more breaking free without her consent or disagreement. She silently came up behind her captain and did the only thing she really could do: she hugged him. She held him close and let him know that people still cared for him.

The crew left them alone; they hadn't anticipated how hard Thrasher's departure would hurt him, and they knew anything on their part would just make it worse. Nami alone had the power to calm Luffy down.

After a minute of soaking up the warmth and comfort of Nami's embrace, Luffy calmly broke out of her embrace. He gave her a small smile, before returning to his special seat. With that, the young pirate captain fell asleep, his dreams full of shadows and choking water, all held at bay by a soft orange light.

* * *

They docked into Loguetown with little fanfare. Everyone apart from Gin had things they wanted to do in the city. The former-Fleet Commander explained that, as both ship's guard and a man who'd already made the motions of going to the Grand Line, it was best if he stay with the ship.

Luffy was determined to get out of his recent slump by seeing the view from the top of the execution platform: seeing the last view Gold Roger had ever had would certainly lift his spirits. Nami and Usopp both had some shopping to do, Sanji was eager to sample both the town's fish market and the female inhabitants, and Zoro, much to his displeasure, was off to replace his lost swords with a loan from Nami.

Before they all dispersed, Luffy, for once, had some good advice. "Listen, everyone." Everyone stopped what they were doing, warned by the serious note in Luffy's voice that they should listen. Looking each of them in the eye, he spoke with the shadowed guilt of past experience. "Whatever you do, do _not_ lose control. To us, it's just a joke or something to help a point. But to these people… it's the end of the world. It is the attack on their very souls that they have nightmares about. So I say again: _do not lose control._"

None of the crew had to ask what he was talking about.

And with that, the crew entered Loguetown

**I'm really really really really really sorry for cutting this off, but I must. I promise to finish off this chapter in the future, but that is an indeterminate time ahead. I just didn't want to completely leave you out to dry as I begin to do the first actual writing of my career. Wait patiently. Ja ne.**


	7. Chapter 7

**There are four very, very good reasons why I've taken so long to update. The first was the fact I've just spent all of July touring Europe. Let us all take a moment of silence to honor Dwight D. Eisenhower for founding the People to People Program. Seriously, it was life changing. I got to learn about new cultures, see the stuff of postcards in real-life, eat honest-to-goodness Italian pizza… all of which sounds really cheesy, I know, but it was flippin' awesome, dammit!**

**The second reason was that I've just gotten back from the one and only NYC. My parents decided to kill two birds with one stone and have our family vacation in a place where we can also do some decent college hunting. So far, Columbia, NYU, and Iona are all on my list. I also saw Wicked. I have only four words, and they are: Wicked. Awesome. Pun. Intended.**

**The third reason was that I'd devoted some time to writing an actual novel, but that didn't work out so well. Not only is it **_**much**_** harder to make an idea from scratch instead of twisting an existing one like with fanfiction, but it's kinda slow going when you have to write it on the communal computer. I am getting my own laptop by Christmas, by thunder!**

**And the fourth and final reason is the fact that I've just gone through Hell Week in Marching Band. For all these reasons, please cut me some slack.**

**Now that my spiel is done, welcome my longest chapter yet!**

* * *

Luffy wandered the streets of Loguetown. He didn't see any of it though. His mind was lost in the past, even as his body moved through the present into the future. Thrasher's departure had stirred something in Luffy's memory. After all, this wasn't the first time he had lost a dear friend…

In Luffy's mind, he was back on Dawn Island. Ace was sitting next to him, his expression severe and far too jaded for a child his age. Across from his was a small boy, though he was already three years older than Luffy himself. The boy wore a jacket, trousers with a leather belt, and an ascot. The attire wouldn't have looked out of place on a young noble, and that was exactly who the boy was. The image was offset, however, by a top hat that was ten years too big for the boy. Goggles hung around the brim of the hat, which would be able to reflect the light in a very distracting way if the boy tilted his head just so. The boy's face was gaunt, but there was something in his eyes, some element of his smile with its missing tooth. That something lit up the boy's face, giving him an air of purpose and energy. Like a fine crystal flute, they clearly displayed the Great Spirit held within.

Sabo was leaning forward, interest making his face shine like the sun. "So, tell me again Luffy! What was it that you did today with those bruisers?" Sabo was referring to the incident earlier that day. While hanging around Grey Terminal, some of the transients had gotten overprotective of their personal piles of trash, which the trio of boys had apparently been stepping in. Luffy had, without even thinking about it, yelled at the top of his lungs. Haki had imbued his voice for the first time, and the few homeless that hadn't fainted outright had fled for the hills.

"I told you Sabo, I don't know! It… it was like I was trying to yell, but I wasn't using my voice. It's like I threw Haki out my throat or something! Pretty cool, huh?" Young Luffy wore the vest and shorts that would become his signature outfit, though they were tailored to his size. Hat, on the other hand, was almost laughably too big for his 7-year-old head.

Ace snorted. It was something he was good at. "How is that cool? You're weird rubber body makes you awkward, unable to fight effectively. As such, you have to use that freaky mind trick." These words set off Luffy's temper, and the tiny boy lunged for Ace. Sabo patiently let the two of them wrestle, knowing that it was the only way for them to work out their differences. It wasn't anything serious, or Luffy would be using Haki.

"Alright, that's enough!" Sabo yelled. Though he despised his Noble heritage, order was still in Sabo's blood. His two 'brothers' ceased at once. The two slowly disentangled themselves.

"Ace, don't knock Luffy like that. That 'Haki' thing is pretty useful, and we don't even know all he can do with it." With childlike naivety, Sabo and Ace had failed to grasp the idea that Luffy could teach them how to use Haki. The gods had silently manipulated them into thinking that it was something only Luffy could do. After all, the Line of D and teaching add up to disaster.

Luffy's face broke into his famous grin. "Sabo's right! So let's train to find out more!" The two instantly nodded. The thrill of training overwhelming their young minds. As one, the three rushed into the forest to engage in their adventures.

Luffy grinned to himself, the memories of the warmth of brotherhood filling him. Slowly though, like the ocean's tide, the faded away. They were replaced by the bitter memory of Sabo's loss. Luffy closed his eyes, refusing to cry as he replayed that dreadful day…

Luffy looked at Ace, refusing to believe his ears. Dadan watched them with her rare worry, as Ace chokingly read Sabo's last words. Luffy felt empty inside. It couldn't be true. It just _couldn't_. Sabo couldn't… there was no way… Sabo was _not_…

"You fool!" Ace yelled, throwing the will away. Falling to his knees, Ace screamed at the sky. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE!" For the first time, tears fell from Ace's face. His brother, the very first person to not only accept him, but care for him, take him… he was gone. He was never coming back. Ace would never get to see him again.

"Why? Why, dammit! Haven't I lost enough?" Ace began to pound the ground with his fists. Little did he realize the growing danger right behind him.

Luffy stared blankly forward, feeling numb and empty. This was worse than losing his temper with Ace. It was a hundred times' worse. At least Ace had _lived_. At least he was warm and whole. At least he was _alive_. And Sabo… wasn't.

Something planted itself in Luffy's stomach. Something burning cold and desperately hungry. Something that ate away at Luffy, growing larger and larger, feeding off of all his tumultuous emotions until it filled him to the brim. It was a terrible feeling. It was like someone had stabbed his heart and let everything bright and worth anything in his life just bleed out.

Luffy fell to all fours, as the feeling kept gnawing at him. Dear God, it _hurt_. It hurt with such a bone-deep, chilling agony that even in the midst of it Luffy could tell that he wasn't getting out of this unscathed. Anything this ravaging, anything remotely like this nauseating loss was not capable of touching something without changing it. Luffy felt the death of a loved one, and knew he would never be the same again.

Power rose in Luffy. Power born from hurt and loss and despair and everything else that makes up the darkest reaches of the human soul gathered. Something inside Luffy died, and crushing darkness rushed to fill in the gap. Luffy didn't even notice as the ground began to shake and a piercing wind blew through the air.

Dadan's worry grew into a full-blown panic. She knew what was coming, knew it on such a deep level that it could only be survival instinct, warning her of the coming danger. Scooping up her fellow bandits and Ace in one sweep of her arms, Dadan rushed behind the house and into the forest. Anything to get away from ground zero.

Luffy's wounded soul cried in mourning, and the keening grew until Luffy felt he would pop like a balloon. There was so much _pain_! There was no way to keep it all inside. The world deserved this pain. A world that was cruel enough to kill Sabo, _Sabo_, deserved to have this horrible force unleashed onto it. Luffy felt like screaming, or pounding the ground, or tearing furrows in stone. He simply _had_ to do something, if only to ease the pain the tiniest bit.

The sky darkened and the sun dimmed as Luffy threw his head back. The boy drew in a breath, and the king screamed out in pain, in loss, in anger and rage at having that which was his taken away.

"**SAAABBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

The world felt the king's pain, and was forced to bear it. Everything, from the trees to the house to the rocks in the ground: everything around Luffy was obliterated in a rushing wave as Luffy let the world know his hurt. The sky shook to the point of breaking as everyone and everything on the island cowered under the despair of a king.

Luffy stopped walking and closed his eyes. When Dadan had found him, he'd been in a crater so deep that even the noon-day sun could not reach the bottom. The ground was filled, the trees replanted, the house rebuilt. Luffy and Ace oh so slowly recovered from Sabo's death.

But Luffy had died that day. In his place was a shadow, a burnt-husk of a once-bright sun, with a devil's fire burning away in the core. Over the next ten years, Luffy grew. He worked to master his Gomu Gomu powers, and even harder to master his Haki. Overtime that sun sparked once more. Luffy began to shine bright once more, becoming a beacon of radiant happiness and pure life again. But as the sun healed, the fire grew, until today it was a sun in its own right, eclipsed by the galaxy around it.

Luffy shook his head. Thinking about that day always made him sad. But it also reminded him of something. Luffy had sworn, in the aftermath of his untamed loss, to never feel that ever again. On the blood of his dead brother, Luffy had made a vow to grow strong, strong enough to never let his friends die, no matter what came at them.

Luffy laid a hand on Hat, feeling the comforting touch of his old friend. _'Thrasher will be fine. I guided him as best I could; now I've got to let him go. It's time for him to live his own life.'_

With that, Luffy focused once again on the world around him. He was surprised to find himself at the docks. "How did I end up here? The execution platform isn't anywhere near here!"

Looking around for someone to ask for directions, Luffy spotted a large man. More specifically, he spotted a grey-haired man in the late prime of his life, smoking a cigar, wearing a white, fur-lined jacket chockfull of more cigars over a bare chest, rippling with layers of well-cared for muscle. An odd, pronged weapon hung from his back as he looked down at the crew of pirates he had beaten and captured. Not that Luffy saw that; he'd stopped looking at the man's face and started walking over.

"Hey there!" Luffy yelled, getting the large man's attention. Luffy walked right up to the man, feeling absolutely no fear at talking to a tough, obviously dangerous man in the middle of a large city. Dear God Almighty, Luffy was an idiot most-times.

The man turned a dark eye at Luffy, the look on his face practically screaming "beat it before I kick your ass." The man looked right into Luffy's eyes, as if shining a searchlight through to his brain, before letting his eye unfocus. "What?" the man asked, his voice gruff from annoyance and a lifetime of smoking.

Luffy looked out towards the horizon, as if expecting a giant neon sign to pop up proclaiming the location of the execution platform. "I'm looking for the execution platform, but I've gotten lost. I've never been in a city so big! I was hoping you could give me some directions."

The man lifted on eyebrow with a kind of tectonic deliberation. Luffy got the faint impression that this man could witness a war in his front yard and be no more fazed than he was by a stranger asking him for directions. "Why is that, if I may ask?"

Luffy smirked as he looked right into the man's eyes. Haki wasn't always needed to let your spirit show. Luffy let fire color his eyes as he answered. "The place the Pirate King died… I want to see it."

The man raised the other eyebrow, and there was a faint note of interest in those stone-cold eyes. Deciding that he wasn't getting anything from his guy, Luffy turned away to walk in the other direction. "Oh, well, I'll look for myself."

"Wait," the man said, his rumbling basso carrying through the air like an earthquake's vibrations. Luffy paused and looked back. The man had made no move since Luffy had turned away. "Follow the smoke," the man said, still not moving a muscle. Luffy quirked his head, before noticing that the smoke from the man's cigar was heading down another street.

"Whoa, thanks mister!" With that, Luffy ran with his usual enthusiasm down the street. The man watched him go, feeling curiosity for the first time in a good few years. Behind him, a harried Marine walked up and saluted. "Captain Smoker, congratulations on detaining those pirates!"

Smoker looked over at the Marine, his gaze something that could turn Medusa herself into stone. "These pieces of trash? They were nothing. There's no way this was Straw-Hat's crew." Looking back towards Luffy, Smoker spoke under his breath, almost as if to the wind. "That boy… there's something about him."

* * *

Zoro was muttering to himself. A few months prior he would have questioned his sanity, but that was a moot issue at this point; sanity, you see, was a worthless commodity when you're a Straw Hat. But that was beside the point.

"Damn that witch. I swear, she could get the devil into her debt. This is going to come back and haunt me, I just know it." Zoro was broken from his musings by a commotion down the street.

Interested, Zoro approached the growing crowd. Zoro expected that he'd have to shove his way to the front, but something odd happened. The people in front of him seemed to move out of his way before he reached them. What's more, everyone seemed to become uncomfortable, as if they had a cold sweat running down their back.

Zoro paused, and tasted the air, so to speak. He couldn't feel anything with his 'danger' sense, so to speak. The only thing there was a hint of Haki from his—Zoro froze.

Once more, Zoro focused on the atmosphere. As before, he found a faint undercurrent of his own Haki. On the Going Merry, it wouldn't even have been noticed; it would have been background noise, not even registered on the conscious level. However, for vanilla mortals, it would be an odd premonition, a chill at the base of your spine.

Zoro was puzzled. _'I'm not even trying to use Haki, so why is it there?'_ Since no answer presented itself, Zoro focused instead on calming his emotions. The 'vibe' of Haki vanished as Zoro got a leash on his emotions, and everyone in the crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Shaking his head in confusion, and making a mental note to ask Luffy, Zoro turned his attention to the cause of the commotion. He was a tad surprised but what he saw. A women, her back to him, was facing two men, both large, scarred, and quite obviously pirates.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Smoker's little bitch? What are you doing here, all alone? Aren't you on a leash or something?" The man who spoke this was leering quite obviously at the woman. Zoro noted a slight tensing in her shoulders, clearly visible beneath her cropped, dark blue hair.

The other man spoke, his hand resting on his knife with a brash arrogance. "That guy put our captain in the hoosegow, and now we're out of a job. So, we'll have to take it out on you. You see how it goes?"

The woman brought up a hand, maybe to straighten a pair of glasses. Zoro took a moment to survey her. She wore a floral green shirt, short-sleeved and with a collar. She wore tight blue pants beneath, and a pair of shiny brown boots. She was holding a standard katana in her hands, with the kind of surety that suggested both talent and skill. Zoro noticed her arms were corded with smooth muscle, and the way she held herself suggested that she was about to slip into a stance.

"I see," she said, her voice a pleasant soprano. "You two are pirates, and you wish to attack me. Therefore, I must beat you." There was no fear in her voice, no confident bluster; she was stating the facts. The two men grew angry at her lack of fear and lunged. Zoro laid a hand on Kuina's blade, and tensed to dash forward if need be. He needn't have bothered.

In a fluid, seamless movement, the women drew her sword and slashed twice. The two pirates fell to the ground, already unconscious from her precise strikes. Zoro was reasonably impressed. It was always a thrill to see a masterful display of swordsmanship. Zoro's long-dead libido tried to sit up, but was knocked unconscious by his obsession with defeating Mihawk. Eternal glory and legendary skill, _then_ flirting.

The woman sheathed her sword, before suddenly collapsing. Zoro rushed forward, hearing one of the crowd remark "She's damn good, but she can't handle her own strength."

The woman was blindly patting the ground around her. Channeling a brainiac teenager that had read too many mysteries, she muttered "My glasses, my glasses." Zoro found the pieces of eyewear at his feet. Kneeling down, Zoro picked them up and offered them out to her.

"Here, are these you—" Zoro choked on his own words. The woman was looking up at him, a smile lighting up her face. "Thank you," she said, unaware of the phantoms running across Zoro's vision. Her face was heart-shaped, here eyes soft orbs, her nose and lips balancing the aquiline and the feminine. In short, she looked exactly like the long-dead girl who had inspired Zoro in the first place.

'_Kuina?'_ Zoro though helplessly, unconsciously tensing at the sight of his long-dead rival. A sharp cracking and flashing burn in his hand brought him back to reality. Both he and the woman looked down at the same time. Her glasses had been crushed in Zoro's grip.

Zoro and she met each others eyes, and he had one fleeting thought. _'Well, this is an excellent first impression.'_

* * *

Nami was doing what she did best: shopping. With her haggling ability, there wasn't an article of clothing out there she couldn't swipe at a cut-rate deal. After modeling an increasingly opulent set of gowns at one store, before leaving without buying a thing, Nami now was wandering the streets of Loguetown.

Nami was thinking of Luffy, or rather what she felt for Luffy. It was very complicated to work out, since she was unfamiliar with half the emotions that rushed through her whenever she though about his face, or remembered his voice, or recalled the gentle strength of his arms as he held her close and they danced into the night, where no eyes would pry into anything they might…

Nami shook her head. Okay, she could probably label that emotion as 'lust.' Having used it as a weapon so long, she felt a tad betrayed that she had fallen victim to it. Though it wasn't only physical attraction that she felt for Luffy. Though who could really blame her, she'd seen him take his vest off once on a hot day, by God how could he have so much muscle on that skinny frame, man those abs looks so smooth and hard maybe she should have a little nibble to see how they taste…

Nami shook her head. _'Figures. My hormones focus on my chest all this time, and _now_ they decide to notice guys.'_ Thinking chaste thoughts, Nami focused on what else she felt for Luffy, buying a new cheap yet stylish wardrobe almost absently at a new store. There was affection, definitely. Luffy just oozed innocence and boyish charm, and his single-minded dedication to his nakama was about the sweetest thing Nami had ever seen.

There was admiration too; after all, the man had defeated Arlong single-handedly. That kind of power just had to be respected. Not to mention the knowledge of the raw destructive power Luffy had on tap whenever he wished. Nami was awed at the self-restrain Luffy exercised every day. In the shadow of that awe, there was fear. Luffy was dangerous, with a capital D. Of course, the danger added an odd thrill to the cocktail of feelings as well. Nami was becoming increasingly sure that the cocktail would explode sometime in the foreseeable future if she didn't sort out some of the baggage.

Nami was just counting her change when one of the teller's comments breached the jumble of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Nami asked, suddenly focusing all her attention on the woman currently packing her purchases.

"I said, dear, that this town has been almost pirate-free every since Captain Smoker showed up. He's from the Marine HQ, in the Grand Line you know. He has one of those odd powers, you know, from the Devil's Fruit. If a pirate sets foot in Loguetown, then Smoker will smoke 'em out. Would you like me to carry these to the door for you?"

Nami hid the shiver that ran up her spine and declined the woman's offer. Exiting the store, a bag in each hand, Nami pondered this piece of information. If the Marine Captain had a special power, things could get complicated. Nami knew from Luffy that Haki had some odd effects on Devil's Fruit users. Where he'd gotten the information, none of them knew, but that wasn't important.

Nami realized that they were on shaky ground, if it came to a direct confrontation. Not only would they not know if Haki had any significant effect on Smoker, but they couldn't cut loose here. Even Sanji now had enough of a psychic punch to make the average man faint. The entire Straw Hat crew in tandem would be the equivalent of a mental nuclear assault, should they fight within the town. And that was without factoring in Luffy.

Nami bit her lip as she realized the handicap. If attacked, the Straw Hat crew would be forced to hold back, while the Marines would have no such limitations. It could make things quite difficult. Nami had seen the mindless, lost looks of Luffy's victims in the past: her conscience would not allow her to have the Loguetown citizens wind up the same way.

Shaking her head at the quagmire, Nami looked up, only to choke in surprise. "Usopp?"

* * *

Zoro closed the door to the shop behind him the way a prison escapee slams the door to their hideout. Breathing a sigh of relief at his successful retreat from the Marine Base, Zoro began to examine the swords in the shop.

Everything had gone downhill since he had met Ensign Tashigi. In the midst of a tirade about how expensive those glasses were, which he had endured due to his shock at her resemblance to Kuina, she had apparently taken offense at his way of life. Having immediately profiled him as an unemployed wife-beater skipping out on his kids, the spirited swordswoman had dragged him to the Marine Base to get him a job as a janitor. She'd even had the nerve to look pleased, as if she'd done some public service or act of charity.

Naturally, it hadn't worked out so well. After the Base received its very first Santouryu-based cleaning, Zoro had knocked out the officer on watch and had left. Now, he had returned to the enterprise which he had set out to do in the first place, ergo buying two more swords.

The man at the counter was all smiles. "Hello, good sir! How may I help you on this fine day?"

Zoro laid all 100,000 Beli on the table and said "I need two good swords."

The smile vanished in a flash. In its place, the store owner gave Zoro a look that could have wilted a small garden on contact. "You're joking, right? That much would barely buy _one_ decent blade!" The man would likely have continued haranguing Zoro about his lack of money and the insult given, had he not noticed the sword at Zoro's hip.

"OH MY! Dear Sir, would you let me look at that for a second?" Zoro quirked an eyebrow at the man's mood swings, but unbelted Kuina's blade. He focused very hard on keeping his annoyance (and Haki) in check; after all, it's very hard to conduct business with someone who's unconscious.

The shop owner drew the blade from its sheath the way Scrooge might open up a treasure chest. His eyes widened until Zoro felt that they might pop out of their sockets. The shock was swiftly replaced by a kind of desperate calculation. "Well, this blade isn't much, but it's pretty all the same. Definitely not worth some amateur like you." Zoro, quite graciously, allowed that comment to slide. "Tell you what, I'll buy it for 200,000! Then you'll have 300,000! That's enough for three decent 100,000 blades!"

Zoro could not suppress the 'blink' as this random merchant tried to buy off the one memento he had of Kuina. The man froze like a deer in headlights, and a cold sweat started to sluice down from his receding hairline. Zoro's tone was casual, but in the aftermath of a psychic blast, it came off as the most menacing thing the poor shopkeeper had heard in his life. "I'm only going to say this once. I will never sell that sword."

The man tried very hard to regain his composure. His seller's sense immediately informed him of the loophole. "P-Perhaps sell is too cheap a deal. How about a trade? I'll give you three, count them, _three_ high-quality blades if you allow me to have this one."

"I'm not going to repeat myself," Zoro said, his annoyance now running free of its previous boundaries. The man reacted to the lower yet constant flow of Haki as if Zoro had pointed a loaded gun at his head. Zoro was paying so much attention to the man's attempts to control his bowels that he didn't hear the door open behind him.

"My, what an uncomfortable atmosphere. Should I come back for Shigure some other time? Oh, _there_ you are!" The Haki and tension evaporated instantly with the arrival of Tashigi.

Before Zoro could open his mouth to respond (or perhaps turn around to run for the hills), Tashigi noticed the blade in the shopkeeper's hand. "Oh my lord! Could it be?" Rushing forward at a speed only the deeply obsessed and mildly addicted could manage, Tashigi snatched Kuina's blade right out of the man's hands.

Pulling out some kind of catalog on swords, Tashigi expertly flipped through the pages until she found the exact same blade in the book. She needed only a glance to confirm the two were one and the same. "How incredible! This is _the_ Wado Ichimonji, one of the 21 Great Blades! This is one of the 83 Named Blades on the planet, from the 12 Superior Blades to the 50 Good Blades! This could easily sell for 20 million Beli!"

The sword merchant saw his escape as if it had been spray-painted highlighter-yellow. "Indeed it is, and that is why I must decline your offer to sell it!" The man hastily snatched the blade out of Tashigi's hands, giving it back to Zoro with only a touch of hysteria. With the other hand, he grabbed a katana with a flower-shaped hilt from beneath the counter. "Your blade's been sharpened, so here it is. As for you, young man, the 50,000 beli swords are in those bins in the corner."

Shaking his head at the man's odd behavior, Zoro belted Wado back on to his hip, going over to check the barrels full of low-quality blades. Tashigi followed him like a fly on orange soda. Her nonstop chatter filled the air with an annoying hum.

"So, you dodged out of the job I gave you, huh? I should have known you were the type. What's worse, you tried to sell such a beautiful sword! You have no idea how to treat a blade, do you? Though it is interesting how you want three. It reminds me of this bounty hunter I heard about. Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter, said to wield three swords with expert skill."

"Roronoa Zoro, huh? I hear the name a lot," Zoro said noncommittally, mentally counting the reasons why he shouldn't just use his Haki to shut this woman up. Her physical resemblance to his childhood friend was all but eclipsed by her compulsive need to talk.

"It's such a shame, isn't it? How all the best blades belong to pirates and bounty hunters these days. They're not just weapons, they're works of art! And yet they are used by dirty men for the sake of money!" Tashigi clutched Shigure to her chest as if it were a small child. "The swords are crying, I can feel it. One day, I will see to it that no sword is used for petty violence. I shall sail the world and free the swords!"

Zoro felt a tiny flicker float across his consciousness, like a small bit of dust settling on his eyelash. The woman was spirited about this. Whatever flaws Zoro saw in her, he could not deny that this woman had iron in her spine. She immediately got a few more points in Zoro's books. "So, you want to take all the Named Blades, huh? Will you fight me for this one?" Zoro smirked and used his thumb to slide Wado out just a bit.

Tashigi paled, and instantly flung her arms around in the universal sign of 'no way, back up.' "No, no, no, you misunderstand me! I don't want to _own_ the blades! I just want them out of the hands of troublemakers!"

Zoro would have nodded, had his hand not just touched a cursed blade. Zoro's hand clenched automatically, and he looked down. He was holding onto a katana that was obviously of higher grade than the cheap ones around it. Its sheath full of slashing, vague purple, the blade itself looked dark. It was the will behind it that had alerted Zoro.

This blade had a spirit. It wasn't alive really, but Zoro could intensely feel a writing intent all but oozing off the sword. It was a wild thrill, a raging bloodlust, a force that existed only to cause pain and bathe gleefully in the ruins of its victims. And it instantly tried to take hold of him and sink its claws into his being, to find a new wielder to offer it blood before eventually killing him off as well out of sheer spite.

Zoro brought the blade up into the light, staring at the blade with a kind of wary respect. The blade had power, there was no denying that. However, there would be palm trees on Drum Island the day Zoro allowed anyone or anything to use him or control him. He brought his Haki to bear, the cool, calm weight of his spirit like loud music through a thick wall, buzzing and alive beneath his skin. It washed into the blade with a patient defiance, as slow, powerful, and unquenchable as the tide of the sea. Zoro tested his will against the blade, and he refused to back down even an inch until the sword acknowledged his mastery over it.

The internal conflict took place in seconds. Tashigi had only just noticed the sword. "My word! Is it even possible?" Once again, she consulted the catalog. "It actually is! That's the Sandai Kitetsu, one of the Good Blades! Forged by the legendary Kitetsu, alongside the Shodai and Nidai blades! The price is 13 million, so how did it wind up in this bin?"

The shopkeeper, who if you must know is named Ippon-Matsu, let out a kind of squeal when he saw the sword in Zoro's hands. "Drop that right now! I won't sell that thing to you!"

Tashigi assumed a patronizing air. "I knew it! Trying to sell that level of sword for 50,000. What kind of scam are you running here?"

The man shook his head wildly. "That's not what I meant! I can't possibly let him have that sword! It's…"

"It's cursed," Zoro finished for him, not taking his attention off Sandai for an instant. The sword was weakening. It had dealt with a few mental battering rams from its previous owners, as they tried to defy it in increasingly feeble struggles. Zoro wasn't like that. He washed away at the sword's will, gradually sapping away at its resistance to his control. This was a battle of attrition, and it was only a matter of time.

The man nodded, unaware of the battle happening right in front of him. "The three blades forged by Kitetsu are legendary for their cutting ability. However, every swordsman to ever hold one has died under mysterious circumstances. It's said that each blade contains a demon! That is what gives the blades their power, but the curse comes with it as well!"

Tashigi had the decency to look abashed. She bowed to the man, saying most respectfully "My apologies! I should have known there was a good reason behind it."

As she spoke, the struggle ended. Zoro's Haki flowed through Sandai without obstacle, as natural as if it were an extension of his arm. The blade had surrendered itself to Zoro's will. Grinning like a shark that has spotted a school of its favorite fish, Zoro faced the owner. No Haki was needed to make the man shiver. "I'll take it."

The owner gaped in shock. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I just can't! If I sold you that sword, and you died, wouldn't that be like I killed you?" The man's protest was cut off by the sudden appearance of his wife, who gave him a concussion for denying a sale. Tashigi also was staring at Zoro. She was either concerned for him or questioning his sanity, one of the two.

Zoro grinned even wider. It was time to put his dominance to the test. Unsheathing the sword, Zoro proceeded to throw it into the air. It spun counterclockwise through the air, as Zoro held out his arm right into the path the sword would go once gravity reclaimed it. "Let's see which is stronger: my good luck, or this dumb curse."

Tashigi and the owner yelled out in shock, while Zoro merely closed his eyes. He could feel his connection to the sword, different than the one he felt to Wado. Instead of the warm bond of an old friend, it was more akin to a leash binding a hound to his master. Zoro felt the sword consider treachery. It just as soon gave up, as Zoro gave it a little nudge through the link, a 'gentle' reminder of who was the boss.

The blade fell through the air, its edge enough to rend steal in two. It came within a hairsbreadth of Zoro's arm… only to fall right around it, as if unwilling to cut it. The blade sunk to the hilt in the wood floor as it finally landed. Once more, Zoro looked the shopkeep in the eye and said "I'll take it."

Tashigi fell to the ground, her knees suddenly weak. She'd never experienced such a nerve-wracking moment in her life! As Zoro was belting Sandai to his hip next to Wado, the owner fled into the back of the shop. When he came back, he was carrying a katana that was practically royal. It had an elegant, airy sheath alongside a precise, geometric hilt.

"Great stranger, though I've only just met you, I want you to have this. It is Yubashiri, one of the 50 Good Blades. It is a family heirloom, but I want you to have it. Free of charge; consider it a gift."

Zoro arched an eyebrow at the man's behavior, but picked up the sword all the same. It didn't have a sentience like Sandai, but Zoro could still detect a kind of presence to the sword, like a personality. The same could be said of Wado, so Zoro guessed it was a quirk of Named Blades. Yubashiri was like a haughty prince. It was willing to work _with_ him, but certainly not for him.

Zoro could live with that. Belting the third and final sword, and feeling a sense of completeness in having three swords at his hip, Zoro nodded his thanks and left the shop.

* * *

Luffy looked up… and up… and up, until he could vaguely make out the top of the execution platform. _'How the hell do they get people up there?'_ An honest question, but like so many it went unanswered.

Apart from a stop at an interesting little bar, Luffy had made his way to the central plaza without incident. Hearing tales of Gold Roger's greatness had lit a fire in Luffy's belly, to be sure, and he felt ready to take on the world. Or a 100-foot platform.

"Now, how to climb this? Do I rocket to the top, or take the old-fashioned way?" Tilting his head in mild concentration, Luffy decided to take the scenic route. So, with that, Luffy began the task of climbing to the top by hand.

Luffy didn't eat whole villages' worth of food just because he could. Nor was it just because his stomach was rubber and required a hell of a lot more than the average Joe's worth of food to reach maximum capacity. It was because Luffy had enough energy to reduce a mountain to rubble within a day, and a metabolism to match. He all but flew up the platform.

About halfway up, a voice stopped him. Not literally, of course, but you get the idea. "You. Is it true that you're Straw-Hat, the highest bounty in East Blue?" Luffy paused, looking back at the ground. Smoker looked up at him, his bearing radiating controlled violence. The guy had come for Luffy, and if a fight was needed, then he'd throw down gladly.

"Oh, it's you again. Thanks for the directions, by the way. My name's Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy said in total calm. It wasn't a moronic calm, though. Luffy could tell that this guy was an actual threat; it was written all over him, a series of tiny markers and cues that pointed directly at one indisputable fact: Smoker was dangerous.

Luffy regarded Smoker with a warrior's relaxed wariness, neither asking for trouble nor unprepared to deal with it. Smoker did the same in turn. "I must say, you don't strike me as the kind who can ruthlessly cut down all those famous pirates." Smoker was nonchalant, but the secret message was clear. _"Are you strong, or are you just a fake?"_

"Well, they were in my way. Plus, those guys were just plain annoying." Luffy still hadn't moved from his spot on the platform. He decided to change that. With a casual leap, Luffy flung himself from the platform. He landed like a cat just a few meters in front of Smoker.

Smoker cracked his knuckles, a not-so-subtle sign that the banter was coming to an end. "Well, as Marine Captain, it is my duty to detain you until you can be publicly executed for the threat you represent. I don't suppose you could come quietly."

Luffy cocked his fist. "Nope. I've still got things to do. I can't die yet." Aware of the growing crowd, Luffy kept a reign on his Haki. He could get away with some strength augmentation, but that was about it. Hopefully Smoker wouldn't prove too much a challenge.

Smoker smirked around his cigar. "Sorry about that, then." And with that, he charged. Luffy reacted smoothly and confidently, sending his fist out across the distance to hit Smoker.

Well, that's what should have happened. Instead, Smoker all but disappeared with a sudden burst of speed. Luffy's eyes widened as Smoker appeared behind him. "You're very slow," the Marine remarked, before bringing his fist down to impact with Luffy's skull.

Luffy's hand gripped the fountain, and he allowed physics to take its course. His body launched forward at incredible speeds, leaving Smoker's fist to hit air. Keeping his grip on the fountain, Luffy went forward about 20 meters down the main street, shocking the people watching. A challenging grin on his face, Luffy once again waited for his rubber body to work its magic. As Newton said, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. As Luffy's forward momentum ended, his arm recoiled, sending him back at Smoker even faster than he'd gone flying. "I'll give you slow!" Luffy roared, his blood already singing with the thrill of battle.

Smoker began to fade into what Luffy could have sworn was smoke, but it wasn't fast enough. Both of Luffy's legs came flying at the Marine's chest like a torpedo. Much to Smoker's surprise, instead of fading through his body, the blow made solid impact. Had someone taken a picture at that very moment, they would have had the best blackmail on Smoker they'd ever have a chance to get. The look of pure shock and pain on the 'untouchable' Marine's face was utterly priceless.

Smoker flew at supersonic speeds at the city hall right behind the platform. It was here that his powers finally kicked in, having him dissolve into nothing but smoky air upon contact. Luffy landed on his feet, his eyes on the lookout. _'So, he's Logia. My Haki let's me hit him, but he only when he had enough mass for me to hit.' _Luffy silently thanked Dadan for lending him that book on Devil's Fruit in their entirety, one of the few times he had been bored enough to actually read.

Luffy and Not-Luffy were in perfect sync right now. Luffy maintained dominance, giving him control over how to fight. Not-Luffy worked alongside him, sharpening his senses and digging up Luffy's oft-neglected intellect. It was simple, really. Not-Luffy worked to inform Luffy of what was going on, maybe offering some tactics, and Luffy laid out the whoop-ass. However, a lapse in control or severe emotional distress would lead to Not-Luffy taking the reigns. This would result in an infinitely deadlier fighter taking Luffy's place, at the small, small cost of any conscience or empathy. Not-Luffy would bring the entire plaza to rubble with raw power and not even care about the lives destroyed, as long as the 'threat', Smoker, was eliminated.

That's why Luffy kept a close watch on which personality was in charge.

The top-half of Smoker coalesced right in front of Luffy, already swinging the odd jutte at Luffy's head. The pirate ducked, before bringing an uppercut at Smoker's chin. Once again, the Marine flew through the air until fading into smoke. _'Looks like he's still adjusting to the fact I can hit him,'_ Luffy thought, Not-Luffy already planning how to capitalize on the advantage.

Smoke came from all sides around Luffy, obviously intending to trap him. In response, Luffy once again reached out to grab the fountain. Just as he began flying, however, Smoker formed out of the spiral and, with a yell of rage, caught Luffy with the jutte right on his swiftly-fleeing ankle.

Luffy grunted at the blow to the tender bones. He suddenly didn't have the energy to do even that. A wave of weakness and exhaustion spread from his ankle, robbing him of his strength and focus. It was as if Smoker had dunked his ankle in sea water. Luffy's concentration slipped, and the fountain slipped out of his hold as his hand loosened in weariness.

The sensation ended just in time for Luffy to scream in surprise as he flew across the sky. As he made an impact on the other side of town, Smoker slowly drew himself together. He took a deep pull on his cigar, and let it out just as slowly. _'I heard the reports on his Haki, but I didn't expect it to have any affect on me. I underestimated him. I'll have to be careful when I try to apprehend him again.'_

Smoker made his way out of the plaza, heading right for the Officer who had followed him from the docks. Smoker snapped off order without hesitance. "Run to the Base. Tell them to have all our men ready for immediate assignment by the time I get there." The man saluted, cried "Yes sir!" and took off at a sprint. Smoker surveyed the plaza before making his way back to base. _'Something's going to happen here later, something big. I can feel it.'_

* * *

Nami was understandably surprised. In the midst of analyzing her tangled emotions, she had somehow come to a cemetery at the highest point of the town. Not only that, but there was a substantial crowd there as well. The object of the crowd's attention was Usopp, knees trembling slightly, and a massive man that Nami recognized from the paper: Big Daddy, the best bounty hunter in East Blue, surpassing even Zoro before the latter's change in career.

With ease, Nami broke through to the front of the crowd. "Usopp, what the hell is going on? And why does it look like you're challenging Big Daddy to a duel?"

Usopp turned to face her, and Nami was honestly shocked at the look on Usopp's face. His expression was equal parts panic and irritation. He wasn't only afraid of the situation; it annoyed him as well. That in itself was something; who in their right mind is _annoyed_ to be in a duel to the death. Confidence was one thing, but who gets frustrated risking their life? Nami could have sworn that, for just a second, something _moved_ inside Usopp's eyes.

"I'll tell you what happened!" Usopp yelled, turning to face Big Daddy, who kept his back to Usopp, and the little princess-wannabe that Nami just noticed by his feet. "I was trying to buy some new goggles when this _brat_ takes them right out of my hand and buys them instead. I followed her to get them back, and all of a sudden she's hugging this guy's leg, crying how I threatened her and asking that he kill me to make it up to her! I know I was a coward not too long ago, but _come on!_ This is just plain ridiculous!"

Nami was not the only one shocked by Usopp's tirade. The girl in question had her mouth open in a perfect 'O'. Nami guessed that no one had ever called her a brat; unsurprising considering who her father was, as the relationship between man and girl was obvious. Big Daddy himself turned to face Usopp, the look in his eye promising murder.

That didn't stop Usopp. The words seem to spill right out of his mouth. "I am sick and tired of folding like wet cardboard to every tough guy that comes along! I am a pirate, a brave warrior of the sea! And yet I'm forced into a duel because one little girl got greedy? I don't think so! I'll tell you right now, Big Daddy that I won't have anything to do with this duel! For I am Usopp, finest sharpshooter in East Blue! Why, you could say I'm king of the snipers! That's it! From now on, I will be known as _Sogeking!_"

A little confused? You shouldn't be. It was kinda obvious this would happen. Just as Haki had let to the creation on Not-Luffy, so too had Usopp's darker urges gained sentience. Ever since joining the Straw-Hat crew, Usopp had grown strong, strong enough to take on most guys who cared to spit his way. This confidence and power had warred with Usopp's cowardice, too deeply entrenched over the years to simply disappear. Instead of his soul grating against itself, Haki had fixed the problem. Now, there were two melodies playing within Usopp's spirit. One was the coward we all love and pity. The other was the embodiment of all Usopp's talent, the skill and power he had made manifest, free from the constraints of his cowardly urges. There was Usopp, and there was Sogeking.

Big Daddy turned to face Usopp, his expression speculative. Nami, with her skill at reading people, noticed the tension that indicated he was surprised by something. The man spoke, his voice as deep as the pits he dropped his dead victims into. "Your words mean nothing, boy. You accepted the challenge, regardless of the motive. This can only be resolved by proving one of us is more skilled than the other. Show me action, or your dead body will be the price of your honor."

Without a word, Sogeking tossed the gun Big Daddy had given him to the ground. By chance or design, it discharged and blew the glass out of one of the bystander's glasses without hitting the skin. That served to make the crowd disperse, except for a very confused Nami.

Taking out his trusty slingshot, Sogeking turned to face the city. Drawing back the string and taking aim, he merely said "Watch that weather vane." With that, the pirate released a Haki-soaked pachinko at a small weather vane almost half a mile away.

No telescope was needed. The weather vane was torn from its roof as the innocuous metal ball made contact. Everyone's eyes widened, including Usopp's. Yes, Usopp. The instant the shot was made, Sogeking retreated back into Usopp's subconscious. This left the lying coward stuck between pride and panic, as he realized that he had made the shot _and_ had insulted one of the deadliest men this side of the world to his face simultaneously.

Big Daddy turned to face Usopp, apparently unaware of the nervous breakdown the young pirate was going through. "It's as I suspected. You truly are the son of Yasopp." That snapped Usopp back to his senses.

"You knew my father?" Usopp asked curiously, decided to worry about his newfound split personality later. Nami moved over to her nakama's side, curious as to how Big Daddy would know an infamous pirate.

Big Daddy's eyes became distant, as the little girl clung to his leg. "It was many years ago. I had heard of your father's skills. I was arrogant back then, determined to prove I was the best. It was a shock, as you could imagine, when your father defeated me rather easily. I waited for him to kill me, as that is how duels must end. He refused me. He told me that he had left behind his own son for what he believed in, and that he didn't want anyone to repeat his mistakes. On that day, a pirate taught me the value of family. I retired from the Marines shortly afterward, determined to provide a good life for my daughter."

The father patted his daughter's hair, who took it with a kind of feline satisfaction. "Our duel is settled. I hope you find what you're looking for." With that, the father led his daughter away, leaving behind a smiling thief and a newly inspired marksman.

* * *

Gin lounged on the deck. There really wasn't that much to do. The docks were generally deserted, given the time of day. That left Gin nothing but staring at the sea. Well, other than contemplating his true goal in life, but that really isn't really a quantifiable activity.

Gin honestly had no idea what he had to strive for. Every member of the crew had a clear, definable dream, one that they would give everything for. And Gin just… didn't. He worked for others, ever since that day he'd met Kreig. It was simply the way he worked. Every time Gin tried to come up with some goal, all that came up was a vague variation of the same core idea: make _others_ dreams come true.

It was ingrained into him. He devoted himself fully to the dreams of others, making them his own. Never had he felt any particular urge of his own. He was a sycophant. He wasn't ashamed to admit it. He was a fanatic, a loyal dog. He had always been content with helping others achieve greatness, never searching for it himself.

Gin gazed out at the horizon, his thoughts bleak as he tried and failed to come up with a dream. He was caught in a paradox. In order to serve his captain, he had to develop and harness the power of Haki. But it was that very subservience that prevented him from so much as touching Haki. He was trapped in a circle, going round and round, never finding a way out.

'_A circle, just like the world. There's no edge, no end. It just keeps turning round and round, never going anywhere.'_

Gin paused. The end of the world. Now that was something.

Everyone knew about Raftel. In this day and age, how could you not? The very last island in the impassable Grand Line. Only one man and his crew had ever reached it, the Pirate of legend, Gold Roger. If ever there was an end to the world, it would be the eastern shore of Raftel. At that one point, where the earth met sea and sky, the single most untouchable spot on the planet… surely that was the edge of the world.

How would it look from there? Would a man see nothing but surf, or would there be something? Some tiny, unexplainable detail that separated that one place from all other places? How would it feel, Gin wondered, to stand at the edge of the world?

He found himself enraptured by the idea. He couldn't get it out of his head. All of a sudden, nothing mattered but finding that one spot and standing there. To gaze out at the edge of the world. A passion he had never felt sprung up in his chest as the concept seemed to sink into his mind, growing roots and refusing to leave until fulfilled.

Gin blinked. _'Was it really that easy?'_ He found it hard to believe. There was just no way that finding a life goal had been that simple. Except he could still feel a fire in his belly, an anticipation in his thoughts, an unquenchable urge to go out and achieve the unachievable.

Gin pinched himself. The pain barely registered through the jumble of his thoughts, but it was there. "Okay, random moment of destiny. Let's go with that. Don't think too hard, or you might go crazy."

Snapped out of his confusion by that reassurance, or perhaps the unsettling realization he had begun talking to himself, Gin got up to rove around the deck to stretch his legs, idly noting the sky had grown cloudy, when he heard a voice right by the ship.

Gin got up and looked over to the railing. He quirked an eyebrow at the sight he beheld. The singularly strangest man he'd ever seen was crouching at the edge of the dock. He looked a bit like some mutant bred at a circus, wearing baggy blue pants not unlike some clowns, while his hair (or at least Gin hoped it was hair and not fur) was arranged in a mane around his head with two small ears on the top of his head.

Right next to the man, easily twice his size, was a lion. Only the lion's skin was an odd shade of grayish-green and its mane was purple. Also, it seemed to be standing on two legs. Both it and the man were paying close attention to a box of matches.

Gin blinked. Either he had knocked himself out and this was all a very vibrant coma dream, or this was the worst arson attempt he'd ever seen in his life. "Don't tell me you're actually here to burn the ship," he said, startling the man and lion.

The man looked up at Gin, and the view of his head from the front was almost as strange as the one from behind. "Eh! Who are you? Straw-Hat's ship is supposed to be unguarded!"

Gin sighed as he leapt from the ship to the ground, already twirling his tonfa. "You know, I haven't met my quota for beating insane idiots this month. Maybe you could help me out."

* * *

Nami ran through the streets, Sanji and Usopp behind her. Sanji had bought some giant elephant tuna or something and the massive fish weighed her companions down. Sanji, of course, didn't realize the severity of the situation. "Oi, Nami-swan, why are you in such a hurry?"

Nami rolled her eyes. "I told you! A storms coming! A very big one! The pressure's practically sky-diving! We need to get the ship ready or it will be torn apart!"

Usopp spoke up. "Nami, I have as much faith in your mystic weather-predicting powers as the next guy, but don't you think you're overreacting? The sky just barely got cloudy!"

Nami yelled over her shoulder, unaware of how people jerked out of her way as her annoyance spiked. "That's my point, baka! It was sunny and clear and now all of a sudden a massive bank of clouds is coming over! This storm is scary, okay! I doubt if there's been one like it for a century!"

Nami abruptly ran into someone. Whipping her head around to yell at the guilty bystander, she came face to face with Zoro. "Zoro, what are you doing here?"

Zoro shook his head, and Nami noted the two extra swords at his hip and the twitching in his eyes. "That doesn't matter right now? Have you seen Luffy? I was just with him when that hat of his blew off. When I tried to follow him, I ran into this guy in a cloak. He asked where Luffy was, and I swear to God I heard him use the word 'flashy'!"

Nami paled. This was bad. Sanji spoke up. "Oi, Marimo, what are you talking about? What's the big deal about this guy? And apologize for running into Nami-swan!" Usopp was of a similar confusion.

Nami spoke up. "It's Buggy the Clown! He must want revenge on Luffy. But that doesn't change the fact that a giant storm is heading this way!"

Ignoring Usopp's panic attack upon hearing the name, Zoro decided to use his authority as First Mate. "Okay, Nami, you and Usopp get back to the ship. Make it ready. Me and Ero-Cook will go to the plaza and get Luffy. If Buggy's there, we'll deal with him." Nami didn't have to check to know that he'd clutched his swords when he said 'deal'.

Nodding, and leaving Usopp floundering as he held the fish by himself, the crew split up, racing against the wheels of fate.

Unnoticed by them, a hidden stranger smiled and moved deeper into the shadows of the alley from which he'd been listening. There was a flash of a skull necklace, and he was gone.

* * *

Luffy was stuck. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He was stuck with no way of getting out. Luffy briefly went over the past few moments, wondering how on earth he had wound up in this situation. He was a danger-magnet, sure, but this was pushing it.

Okay, made his way back to the plaza after recovering Hat from the evil wind. Deciding to just take the shortcut this time and rocketing up to the top. Check. Gazing out at the rather magnificent view, idly noting that those clouds looked a bit serious. Check. Been called out by some kind of non-Marine, before said authority figure was crushed under a massive mace belonging to easily the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

There was not a single aspect of her appearance that couldn't qualify as stunning in its own right. Her skin was smooth, creamy, and flawless. Her hair was glossy and fell down her back in a tumbling cascade. Her lips were full and rose-red, and her figure alone would have sent Sanji to the hospital for severe blood loss. However, Luffy didn't really feel anything. If you stared at only one feature it was distracting, but taken as a whole it just seemed overdone, like trying to cram three different paintings onto one canvas.

The woman proceeded to make a long string of vague remarks that implied that she'd met Luffy before and he had been the first man to ever hit her. By that point everyone within a hundred meters had fallen under her spell and immediately cursed Luffy out. Luffy had honestly yelled back how he had no idea who she was. She seemed hurt by that, holding her hand over her heart, which only served to fell even more spectators.

However, just as a squad of those non-Marines tried and failed to arrest her, the fountain exploded. The strange part was that the rubble seemed to just slide off the woman's skin, almost as if she'd been covered in butter or some other slippery substance. Stepping forward from the ruins came none other than Buggy the Clown, once again with all his parts.

The man was odd, capital O. He wore an orange pirate had with blue tassels that Luffy would have sworn were made of his own hair. His face was tattooed, differently than when Luffy confronted him, and its most dominating feature was his giant, spherical red nose. The rest of his outfit wasn't that remarkable, except for the knives hidden every three inches or so.

Luffy blinked in surprised, right before a force from behind knocked him to the floor of the platform. Looking up, Luffy discovered that he was held down by half of a prison stock, Cabaji the Acrobat standing over him.

Buggy had proceeded to, in his usual melodramatic way, reveal the woman as Alvida, post Devil's Fruit, and hold the whole plaza hostage to witness 'the most flashy execution in history!' And that pretty much left us where we are now.

Luffy looked over to Buggy, who had climbed up the platform. "So, when's the execution? I've never been to one, so it should be exciting!"

Buggy glared at him. "Are you really that thick? This is _your_ execution!"

Luffy blinked. "NANI! What? No, you can't! I can't die yet! I still have things to do!"

Buggy snorted, the sound proportional to his bulbous nose. "Don't care brat. You humiliated me in front of my crew! Take you flashy punishment and die!"

Luffy saw red. How _dare_ this joke of a pirate hold him down and presume to kill him, Not-Luffy roared from within. Luffy, for once, agreed whole-heartedly with his alter ego. Confident in his control to avoid backlash, Luffy threw the mother of all psychic sucker punches at Buggy.

Nothing happened.

Nothing.

Luffy stared in shock.

Buggy grinned maniacally as he started laughing hysterically. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! You don't think I developed ways to counter Haki with Shanks as my rival? Bet you didn't know that Haki can't get past Adam's wood, huh! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Luffy hung his head. He had no idea what Adam's wood was, but it was obvious that Haki wasn't working. The stock was heavy too, and Luffy didn't have the leverage to move it. Luffy was stuck.

Buggy turned out to face the crowd, unaware that hidden in the buildings all around the plaza were Marines. Smoker himself with his aide Tashigi watched the situation through binoculars. Smoker was interested with the situation. Pirates killed each other off, it was practically a rule, but none had ever had this big of an audience. "Let's wait until this is over. We can catch the survivor off guard." The Marines around him nodded in assent to his orders.

Buggy's half-insane voice washed over the plaza. "Ladies and germs, we are gathered here today to witness my vengeance. This boy had the nerve to beat and humiliate, and the time has come for him to pay! Right here, on the very sight the Pirate King was killed, Monkey D. Luffy will have the honor of meeting his super flashy execution!" Buggy's pirates roared in approval. Buggy took out his sword and pointed it at Luffy's head. "Have you any last words?"

Luffy's eyes remained shaded. Not-Luffy was panicking, but Luffy was calm. Gathering every ounce of will and heart he had, the very foundation of his Haki in the first place, he turned to the crowd and screamed for the world to hear. "I WILL BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"

The crowd froze, dumbstruck that anyone would say such blasphemous words in this time. Buggy started laughing maniacally, as per usual. Smoker's eyes widened, but he showed no other sign of his surprise. And hiding back in the crowd, the hooded stranger smiled wide. "Yes, I think you'll do," he said, before once more fading into the darkness.

Buggy raised his sword up for the fatal strike, before two voices charged through the air. "Luffy!" Sanji and Zoro screamed, facing the platform from the main road. Tashigi gasped as he saw Zoro. Luffy perked up. "Sanji, Zoro! There you are! Where are the others?"

Zoro shook his head. "They went to get the ship ready. It's about to rain, in case you hadn't noticed." Luffy blinked, before he realized it. The entire sky was blanketed by dark grey clouds, almost purple in some places. Sure signs of a major storm.

Zoro and Sanji then proceeded to plow through the crowd. Haki was too much of a risk, and Sanji was spotty with it at best, but that didn't alter the fact that both were fearsome fighters on their own. Buggy's forces fell like wheat before a scythe.

Buggy was foaming at the mouth in anger, and he decided to skip the theatrics and get right to the meat of the matter. "DIE, YOU STRAW-HAT!" With that, Buggy brought his blade high, leaving Zoro and Sanji nothing but to watch in horror as their captain met his death. Luffy yelled out suddenly as the blade descended.

"Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Gin… sorry." Luffy looked up for one last look at the world, a sad yet broad smile on his face, causing Smoker to freeze in shock. _'Ah, death… the greatest adventure of all.'_ The moment before the sword hit his neck, he whispered his last words to his crew, carrying a weight that somehow let them be heard at the farthest edges of the plaza. "I'm dead."

Lightning struck down from the heavens, setting the execution platform ablaze with a blue-white fire. Everyone stood stock-still in surprise at this random act of nature. The platform slowly fell over, hitting the ground with a giant rumble. Hat, blasted into the air, slowly made its way to the ground. Just before it touched the ground, it was grasped by a familiar hand. Luffy looked up as he put his treasure on his head. "Well, wasn't that lucky!" the boy proclaimed, his smile blinding.

Sanji's one eye twitched. _'This guy… I'll never get used to this.'_ Zoro chuckled under his breath. _'Captain… you personify dumb luck, don't you. Just happening to find all these perfect crew members, having access to the greatest power on earth, being saved at the last instant… oi vey.'_ "Do you believe in a God?" Zoro asked Sanji, negligently cutting down the clown in front of him.

Sanji shook his head, lighting another cig despite the light drizzle that heralded a much heavier rain very soon. "I think that fate has a sense of humor," With that, the chef grabbed Luffy by the collar. "Come on, rubber-idiot, we got to get back to the ship before Nami-swan takes off."

Before they could make their escape, a magnified voice shook the air. "ATTENTION, PIRATES! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY THE ORDER OF CAPTAIN SMOKER! LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AND SURRENDER!" As this announcement was made, the hidden forces sprung up around the plaza, presenting a wall of guns preventing exit.

"Ah, what fun! Quick, let's run away!" With that, Luffy barreled through the crowd with the speed of a chipmunk on Red Bull. As his nakama followed him through the wake of his passage, Smoker mused aloud. "Oi, you ever seen a man smile as he was executed?" the giant asked the Marine next to him, Tashigi having already left to intercept the pirates.

The Marine shook his head. "No, sir. No matter how unrepentant or untruthful a criminal was, once on the platform they became little more than frightened babies."

Smoker blew out smoke. "I saw a man smile as he died once. It was twenty-two years ago. The Pirate King knelt on that platform, and just as he died and sparked off this age of Pirates, he smiled." Smoker's eyes tracked Luffy as he burst through the wall of Marines. _'Could he have known he'd be saved? No, impossible. A man who smiled at his own death… you are interesting, Straw-Hat.'_

Smoker turned to leave the hideout. "Inform our men to destroy their ship. They aren't leaving this island." Smoker paused when he saw his aide's nervousness. "What is it?" the man asked, causing the Marine to break out in a cold sweat.

"W-Well, sir, you see, the rain was so sudden that our men couldn't cover their gunpowder properly, so they were forced to return to HQ to be resupplied. Also, the winds are went up right after Straw-Hat broke through the line, so our forces are having trouble following them."

Smoker took a deep pull of his cigar as thoughts raced through his head. _'It's as if Heaven itself wants him to leave… like Hell.'_ "Get me my bike, I'll catch him myself." With that, Smoker went out into the wind and rain to track down his greatest target.

* * *

Gin swore to himself. The man and lion had been chumps, but then these Marines popped up like cockroaches. Every time he knocked on down, two more seemed to pop up. It was getting very annoying. Then, Nami and Usopp showed up, and he had to distract the Marines even more so they could get on board. One Marine foolishly charged right at Gin, and the pirate cracked.

"**I have not had a good day!"** he yelled, before freezing in shock. The Marine reacted a tad more violently, fainting like a knocked feather. The rest of the Marines seemed hunched over, as if frightened like rabbits. "Humph. At last," Gin murmured to himself, before charging forward at full speed. He knocked all the Marines down mercilessly, just in time for another squad to show up.

Before Gin could tear his hair out in frustration, all of the Marines were knocked down by Sanji. Nami popped up on deck, and immediately screamed out at her nakama while simultaneously ignoring Sanji's proclamations of love and wishes for praise. Really, the man faded into the background after a while.

"Gin, Sanji-kun, we have to leave. The Marines will eventually cause some damage, and if they don't the waves will." She paused. "Wait a minute. Sanji, where are Luffy and Zoro?"

Sanji shook his head. "The marimo got called out by this Marine girl who screamed how he lied to her and demanded a duel. We left the idiot behind, then Luffy got called out by the Marine Captain. I have no clue if those idiots managed to survive."

Nami bit her lip, before shaking her head. "Forget about them. With Luffy's powers, they can catch up with us. But we've got to get away from here now!" Under her command, her nakama got ready for departure as Nami faced the town. _'Luffy, be careful.'_

* * *

Luffy faced off against Smoker, ready for anything. Smoker in turn regarded the boy with caution; his invulnerability didn't work so well with this kid. "I'm afraid I can't let you pass. It's my duty." Luffy nodded, silently letting Not-Luffy have a little leeway. The sky continued to pour buckets down on the two fighters.

In a blink, the two charged at each other. A flurry of punches, kicks, and dirty tricks were exchanged between the two Devil's Fruit users. Smoker had settled into a guerilla-style of fighting, fading into smoke to reappear behind Luffy, hit him with his jutte or fists, before fading again. Luffy in turn was constantly on guard, blocking or dodging Smoker's hits, sometimes failing, but also managing a few decent hits in return. Let it never be said that Luffy can't throw a punch, and Smoker was feeling the ache as he continued to take the Herculean blows from the youth. Luffy in turn was tiring fast. The jutte sapped his strength whenever it touched, and Smoker's hits weren't anything to scoff at either. Smoker was faster, but Luffy was stronger, and this would inevitably turn into a battle of attrition.

Smoker materialized behind Luffy and, with great effort, through his jutte right at Luffy's back. Luffy couldn't manage to dodge, and the weapon made solid, brutal contact with his back. Smoker faded, only to appear charging at Luffy's open chest with his arm cocked. "This is the end!" the Marine Captain yelled, unaware of the grin on the Pirate Captain's face.

Just as Smoker reached Luffy, the young man's head shot forward, ironically assisted by the blow from the jutte. Smoker's eyes could only widen as Luffy's iron skull made solid with his in the mother of all head-butts.

Smoker's eyes fluttered, his head unaccustomed to such trauma. Unconsciousness took him as he slumped to the ground, his jutte bouncing off the ground before landing. Luffy blew out a giant breath. The fight had been brief, but had easily been the hardest he'd ever had. Luffy's head snapped back, before jerking to the side as applause ran out.

"Good, good. You show promise, as expected." The voice came from a stranger, standing right behind Luffy. The boy whirled around, arm already cocked for a punch, ready for a threat. The stranger was a man, wearing a green cloak. His hair was as black as his eyes, and shaggy in a manner not unlike Luffy's. A strange tattoo dominated his left cheek.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked, Not-Luffy muttering nervously in his head. This man had power. It hung around him like a cloak, an aura of command and danger that had Luffy fighting the urge to just give up and submit to the man's orders.

The man grinned, before laying a hand on Luffy shoulder. There was a tenderness in the gesture, incongruous with his appearance. Luffy blinked at the hand, before looking the man in the eye. The depths in those eyes were truly humbling, bespeaking of long years facing the darkness in the world. "I am a man who is trying to answer the world's problems. Grow strong, Luffy. You'll need it."

Before Luffy couldn't puzzle that out, it came. A massive wind, as sudden and powerful if the gods had blown out on purpose. Luffy was swept into the air like a leaf, screaming his head off.

* * *

Zoro grumbled as he raced down the road. His fight with Tashigi had not gone well. After completely dominating the fight, she'd begun to spout exactly the kind of words Kuina would say. Needless to say it freaked Zoro out and brought up even more painful memories. Luckily, in a way, he'd been saved by a freak wind.

Now Zoro charged towards the docks, hoping Nami hadn't left yet. Unfortunately, his fears were realized. The Going Merry was nearly out of sight, a faint shape on the horizon.

"Damn it," Zoro hissed, before he felt an arm wrap around his waist. Before he could panic, or cut off the hand, one of the two, a terrifyingly familiar arm shot out towards the Going Merry. Zoro slowly turned his head to see Luffy's smiling face. "Get ready, Zoro!" the boy cheerfully yelled, unaware of his impending death.

Right before Luffy's hand caught the mast and Zoro went flying through the air, a demon appeared behind him as he made a solemn vow. _'One of these days… __**I will kill you!**__'_ And then physics took over.

The two went flying through the air at just over the speed of life. Less than three seconds after Zoro's oath, the First Mate and his Captain had landed on the Going Merry. Well, landed didn't seem to cover it… let's upgrade the verb to crash. They crashed onto the Going Merry.

The crew instantly flocked around the crashed pair. Zoro was already grumbling in a homicidal manner, while Luffy was laughing his head off. Not long after, Nami spoke up. "There, it's the guide light! It's pointing the way towards the Grand Line!" Indeed, a lighthouse was pointing due southwest, right toward Reverse Mountain.

Sanji pulled out a barrel, laying it on the deck. "I say we should commemorate our voyage." With that, the cook laid his leg on the lid. "To find All Blue," he said, stating the reason why he had left his home to brave the Grand Line.

Luffy grinned, laying his leg on the cask beside his nakama. "To become the Pirate King."

Zoro brought his leg to bear. "To become the world's Greatest Swordsman."

Nami grinned. "To draw a map of the world."

Gin smirked as he cocked his leg. He looked his captain right in the eye as he said "To stand at the edge of the world."

Usopp hesitated a second, before placing his leg in position. "T-To become a brave warrior of the sea."

Just as the crew of nakama, friends, brought together by trial and danger and about to embark on the journey of their lives broke the barrel in a proud metaphor of breaking their past bonds for the future… they were interrupted.

Another leg joined them. "To revive the culture of the Void Century," proclaimed a strong tenor, sending everyone into a state of shock. They all slowly followed the leg to the person in belonged to. A young man stood there, clad in black robes not unlike a priest's, with a cowl that now was pulled down. His face was unnaturally pale, his eyes red and his hair white as snow: an albino. Hanging around his neck, lying with pride on his chest was an amulet. It was a human skull carved of ivory, its eyes gleaming onyx, looking just like the one on their flag, minus the crossbones.

The man chuckled to himself, and brought his hand up in a half-hearted wave. "Um. Hi?"

The Straw Hat Crew hat a stow-away.

**

* * *

See that coming? I highly doubt it, but congrats if you did. Enjoy this, as today is likely your last day of freedom if you live in New England. Labor Day, how cruel you are. Ah, well, enjoy. Don't expect an increase in wait time; I take so long as is I doubt any of you will notice a difference. Enjoy, and adieu!**

**P.S. Just to clear up any questions, the **_**crew**_** are the Straw Hats, but **_**Luffy**_** is Straw-Hat. Keep an eye on the hyphen. Ja ne!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hehehe... how about we just ignore the half-year break between chapters? Please?**

**ALL HAIL, REJOICE! ONE PIECE IS BACK!**

**Ah, the humble time-skip. This literary device is prevalent among mangakas whom have recently completely went against everything their plots stood for, yet in hindsight by readers somehow seem obvious in the coming. For full examples, read DBZ. **

**Kishimoto is only just cleaning up the mess he made of Naruto with his time-skip, but Oda seems to have stumbled upon pure gold with his own. THE NEW STRAW HATS ARE SO AWESOME! Seriously, he's taken everything that was right and improved it, and made their flaws into strengths. AND YET IT DOESN'T SUCK! It's pure genius!**

**P.S. Yes, Yes I did pull an OC out my ass. Deal with it.**

* * *

The entire crew leapt away from the intruder, who regarded them with a cautious amusement.

"Who are you and how on earth did you get on this ship?" Gin snarled. This guy had slipped right past him, and his ego was taking a severe beating. His one job on the crew, and he'd screwed it up on the first try. The entire ship could go up in a hidden bomb because of his ineptitude!

The albino stroked the amulet, his mouth in a little smirk. "Ah, I've wounded your pride. My sincerest apologies Gin; I simply could not resist making an entrance."

The Straw Hats went even further on their guard at the show of familiarity. Well, everyone except Usopp and Luffy. The former was having a mild panic attack and the latter seemed oddly calm with the presence of the stranger.

"Answer the question," Zoro growled, Haki spreading in a cloud as his ire grew. Strangely, the stow-away did not seem affected by the power. The rest of the crew eyed Zoro though, shocked that he had so readily employed their trump card. The swordsman didn't seem to notice he was using it.

The albino brought his hands together and gave a bow to the entire crew. "As you wish. My name is Leum. I hail from the island of Mauso, in the Calm Belt. I entered this ship by passing through the walls."

Nami went white when she heard where the island was located. Sanji raised his curly eyebrow. "Passed through the walls, you say?" Unseen behind him, Luffy mouthed the word "Sugei," as his eyes started to glitter with stars.

Leum grinned, showing his white teeth. "I must say, I am surprised at this level of hostility. Your guardians assure me that you are all relaxed and fun-loving, and yet half of you still have your hands on your weapons. Then again, I suppose I gave you all a bit of a shock just inserting myself into your oath like that." Leum added a few teeth to the smile, his right hand clutching his skull pendant. "Really, though, you should calm down. If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it when you all had your backs turned. Standard procedure."

The crew sent each other glances, before returning to their regular postures. And if Zoro's posture was with one hand on his swords at all times, well, Leum had no way of contesting that.

Luffy stepped forward, his trademark grin plastered on his face. "Hi Leum, I'm Luffy. Do you want to be part of the crew?"

The Haki-laced scream of **"NANI?" **could be heard by Smoker back on the shore. Leum clutched his head in apparent pain as Luffy cocked his head to the side and cleaned one of his ears. Nami, as officially sanctioned harbinger of common sense, appeared behind the captain and pounded his soft skull into the deck.

"Baka, why in the name of banking would we let some complete stranger become our nakama?" Her orange hair clung to her skull in the rain, and all the men there would swear on their deathbeds that it was steaming with the fires of her rage.

Luffy clutched his treasure as he looked up at her from his lowered position… oh, the ways that could be interpreted "But, Nami, he put his foot on the barrel and said his dream. He _has_ to join our crew now. Besides, how cool can you be to sneak onto a ship full of pirates?"

Sanji casually defied physics and lit a cigarette in the downpour as the rest of the crew shook their heads. Once again, their captain's logic was both childish and unassailable by all usual methods of dissuasion. Leum grinned. "I would be quite happy to join. I'm obligated to, really."

Gin, his head awash with suspicions, barked "Really? How so?" Gin had had the roughest life out of all the Straw Hats. He didn't come through that without picking up a bit of paranoia. Really, for all they knew, this guy was a World Government spy trying to throw them off by acting completely random.

Leum looked Gin in the eyes, and the ship's guard felt chills. Those eyes were far too world-weary for anyone of his apparent youth. It was like looking into the eyes of a grizzled veteran of two wars. They were eyes that had seen too much death and expected to see some more.

"Your distrust is understood, Gin. I take no insult." Here, Leum shrugged. "As to my obligation, really. Who ignores a direct command from the Pirate King?"

All the crew, even Luffy, stared at Leum oddly at that statement. Said albino cocked his head, before opening his mouth in a little 'O'.

"Oh, I haven't explained yet. You all think I'm insane." Leum cleared his throat. "Let me clarify: I am the eater of the Kon Kon no Mi. It is a Logia-style fruit that allows me to turn into the element of spirit. That is to say, I can become a ghost at will." And with that, Leum suddenly started glowing with a dull blue-white light. He turned transparent, and the rain started to fall right _through_ him.

Everyone's jaws dropped level with their knees. Leum grinned, and suddenly he was flying through the air. The Straw Hat crew watched in stunned amazement as Leum performed a dizzying series of aerial acrobatics, not even paying attention to the ship. He didn't need to, phasing right through the wood in the midst of his flips and turns. He would even turn completely invisible in random bursts throughout the show. Usopp's skin got bluer in direct proportion to how much brighter the stars around Luffy's head became. Sanji dropped his cig, Nami stared in disbelief, and Gin and Zoro tensed up even more.

To complete the whole 'ghost' theme, Leum began moaning as his little aerial show drew to a close. "!" the albino moaned, sending shivers down everyone's spine. That sound was bone-chilling. Usopp fell to the deck, one hand clutched over his heart. No one else reacted with quite so much melodrama, but the sentiment was the same.

Leum finally landed on the deck, becoming corporeal once more. There was a self-satisfied little smirk on his face, but it didn't carry the haughty weight of outright arrogance. "As you can clearly see, my abilities make me nearly untouchable. Not only that, but it makes my information-gathering skills quite formidable. I feel I could contribute rather well to the crew."

Luffy was about to grip Leum by the shoulders and perform the cancan, the officially recognized method of welcoming a new nakama, when Nami stepped forward, her sheer aura enough to quell Luffy. Her squinting eyes were focused entirely on Leum. "You're skilled, true, and our captain would probably trust the king of Hell if he popped up, but there's still something fishy here. How did you get here if your island is in the Calm Belt, as you claim? And what the hell did you mean a minute ago about our 'guardians' or whatever?"

Leum shrugged, crossing his arms, the rain and wind adding a sufficiently cool amount of billow to the dark robes he wore. "Considering that we are in the midst of a record-worthy storm, I'll try to keep this short. Mauso, the Graveyard Island, is located in the section of the Calm Belt adjacent to East Blue. As you can imagine, the isolation due to my island's location led to a rather… unique culture. The entire population developed a religion revolving around death and the spirits of the dead. Morbid, but we saw nothing strange with it; death is the greatest natural force, after all, and our ancestors are undoubtedly more experienced then we blind mortals." Leum held made air quotations marks around most of this, indicating his personal opinions of the practice.

"My life was dull but comfortable, until the day the Kon Kon no Mi washed up on the beach. I'd never even heard of the Akuma no Mi; I just saw it as a quick snack." Here Leum's face grew undeniably bitter. "Contrary to what you might expect, my people ostracized me for my powers, called me a freak and heretic for mocking the dead with my powers. My own parents… I had enough. I flew off in the middle of the night and never looked back."

Everyone had relaxed a little by now. The boy's story was sad, but his sharp glance told them right there and then he didn't want their pity. He continued his story, his eyes hazy with past memories. "I went from island to island, until I eventually wound up in Loguetown. The reason I stayed is tied into your second question, Nami-san."

Leum's eyes focused on her, making her very uneasy with his knowledge of her name; she hadn't said it once. "It was a side-effect of eating the fruit, or so I believe. All I know is that ever since I first ate it, I have been able to see and contact ghosts." Leum paused, his stance suddenly defensive. He was probably expecting them to cry out in fear or disgust at the disturbing power. Dead people are just plain creepy, after all. He got the exact opposite.

"SUGEI! That's so awesome! You can see dead people! Too cool!" No reasonably sane sentient being can be prepared for one of Luffy's outbursts. He was dancing around with Leum like a little kid. The captain failed to notice how the albino was foaming at the mouth.

Sanji sighed, before delivering a patented kick to Luffy's skull, canceling this latest act of random childishness. Giving the ghost-boy a second to recover, the cook said "I'm guessing this explains that earlier comment about the Pirate King. Seems that the man is looking for a successor from the grave." All the crew took a moment to think about that. The idea that Gold Roger had appeared directly to this young man and ordered him to join Luffy's crew was both mind-boggling and completely unsurprising. Impossibilities were starting to become routine with this crew.

Leum shook his head to clear it before nodding. "It's only rarely that ghosts actually initiate conversation, but when they do it's usually very important. The spirits started murmuring a few hours before you docked, and then Gol D. Roger himself pops up in front of me and tells me that if I have any brains in my head then I'll stick close to Straw Hat." Leum gave a little laugh as he started to twist the chain of his pendant, in what was apparently nervous habit. "Most of the time I just tune out the chatter and try to ignore all the people I'm walking through. I got quite a few headaches during the first few weeks after I got these powers."

Zoro had remained mostly apathetic throughout this exchange. Zoro's suspicions were of a different tenor than Gin's. Whether the latter was merely distrustful, Zoro simply remained hostilely neutral until he knew whether or not he could cut you up, upon which he either killed you or drank with you. Stepping forward, Zoro directed a question at the possible-Straw Hat. "I'm going to take a guess and say that when you said 'guardian' earlier, you meant our guardian angels."

Everyone gaped at that statement. The implications were interesting, to say the least. Leum merely smiled a little distantly. "Yes, though not the way you might think. Guardian angels, as you think of them, are really just spirits who choose to watch over someone close to them while they yet live. Sanji and Gin don't have any, since no one close to them has ever died." Both men conceded the point; their pasts, while tragic, had not involved actual death. "Guardians also have a habit of bragging to each other, so I pick up a lot of information about people and their pasts just by being near them. It's one reason why I can be so… disconcerting when talking to strangers, making unconscious references to facts they think are deepest secret."

"For example," Leum said, suddenly vanishing and reappearing behind Luffy, his head close to the captain's ear. "Sabo's proud of your accomplishments. He's cheering you and Ace on all the way." Luffy paled significantly, shocking his nakama with the uncharacteristic response, but the young pirate gave a small nod of thanks to Leum. Grinning, the albino turned to face the rest of the crew.

"Usopp, your mother doesn't know whether to throw a party or beat you soft for that incident with Big Daddy earlier." Usopp froze, before nervously looking over his shoulder, as if expecting his deceased mother to come for him then and there. "Zoro, Kuina says that if you ever hesitate with that Marine girl again, you will never hear the end of it in the next life." Zoro clutched his katana almost reflexively at the mention of his dead friend, but didn't slice Leum on the spot, which was something. "Oh, and Nami, Bellemere thinks that you should get up off your butt and let him know or you'll wind up an old prune with thirty cats because you never took the risk." Nami's eyes bugged, before blushing scarlet.

Leum turned to face the sea, and his voice became very solemn. "Over the years, I have learnt of a lost civilization, spoken in whispers by the oldest spirits, one that predates even the World Government. It was a utopia in every sense of the word, but it was destroyed by power-hungry fools obsessed with their own greed." The words were spoken with a passion that rivaled Luffy's own when he spoke of One Piece.

"I know that I cannot ever bring the world back to that golden age, but I can make a start. I can nudge the world back into the right direction. But I'll need to grow strong, strong enough to defy the World Government and make people see the depth of their folly." Leum turned to face the Straw Hats, and his red eyes burned with a fire that was truly frightening, coming from that death-pale face.

"Gol D. Roger changed the world. He was one man, but his legacy lives on even now, despite all attempts by the Marines to crush it. And that man appeared to me as clear as day and _ordered_ me to join you. You guys are undoubtedly tied to the coming age. With the support of the Pirate King and his mighty crew, perhaps I too can change the world." Leum strode right over to the barrel, once more putting his leg on the lid. "May I fight with you, Straw Hats? For your dreams as well as mine?"

Nami, Zoro, and Gin exchanged looks. In the time it took them to silently give their approval, Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji had already joined Leum at the ready.

With a roar of triumph, the Straw Hat Crew, now numbered seven, broke the barrel, letting sake flow onto the deck in a gesture to show the ending of their old lives and the beginning of a new life of adventure.

* * *

Apparently adventure was on strike. It had been a full day since the storm, and Reverse Mountain still wasn't in sight.

"Nami, why is this taking so long?" Luffy whined, hanging upside-down from his special seat. The crew had all settled into their 'relaxed' positions. Usopp was experimenting up in the crow's nest to avoid any 'accidents' like the Tabasco Star, Zoro taking a brief nap between training sessions, Sanji doting upon the lounging Nami, Gin hung from the railing looking out at the sea, and Leum, invisibly, was trying to sneak away as far from Luffy as was possible.

Ignoring the silent screaming of a thousand of shades, the newest addition to the crew had asked how it was the entire crew learned how to use Haki, since most spirits that knew of it said it was very rare. We've really gone over this so many times that any further commentary should be unnecessary. Suffice to say that Leum was quite spooked as to how Luffy seemed to know exactly where to aim his bursts even when Leum was intangible. On a side-note, Haki caused Leum to revert to his normal form for a few seconds. The ectologist had swiftly forgone any ideas of flying away in order to escape this hell.

Nami looked over at Luffy, sipping at the mimosa Sanji had made with her special permission. She'd slowly been building up her courage after the admonishment delivered by proxy from her mother-figure. All she needed was the right moment. This was not it. "I told you Luffy, the mountain is at least another day away. Really, you should calm down a bit. The weather's so beautiful right after a storm; don't ruin it with your yelling!"

Luffy pouted, before firing off a blink in an apparently random direction. Leum materialized near the tangerine grove, looking out of breath. The crew had discovered quite a few quirks about their 'trainee' nakama (he wasn't considered a full member of the crew until he helped them on an adventure, so he was under partial privileges at the moment).

For instance, Leum always kept his cowl up. Always. He didn't even lower it under the glare of the noon sun. He had apparently only kept it down when they met because the wind would keep knocking it down. Inferring that his skin was rather sensitive to sunlight, the more mature members of the crew had silently agreed not to mention it, the dumber ones not even noticing. In a warming gesture, Sanji had laid out a full water pitcher and a glass in case the ghost-man got dehydrated.

Another thing the crew noticed was his odd habit of looking slightly over their heads when he talked, as if he were addressing someone standing behind them. Not only that, but his eyes were always moving, even when he was sitting still, as if he were watching an invisible person pace up and down the walls. He probably was.

Perhaps the most amusing thing about him was that he seemed to enjoy acting out the stereotype of a fortuneteller. When asked, he simply shrugged and said money drove you towards necessity, something Nami had heartily agreed to. He always carried at least two fully shuffled decks of Tarot cards, a pouch of tea leaves, a few prisms, and even a crystal ball, roughly the size of his head, though no one knew where he stored it.

In a nutshell, he had the odd-ness of Luffy with the maturity of Zoro and Gin. It made for an intriguing character.

Leum huffed as he recovered from the nasty psychic blow. "Do you even know what you're doing with that Haki of yours? It's like you don't even know the three different types!"

Luffy quirked his ears, as did the rest of the crew, sans Zoro of course. "What do you mean, types? Haki is Haki, isn't it?"

Leum sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow as he gathered his thoughts. "How typical. You have more power than you know what to do with, but you don't understand any of the theory behind it. If I had a Beri for every spirit like that I met…" Sighing again, Leum was preparing to go into full 'lecture-mode' when Usopp broke the spell.

"Oi! There's something off to starboard! I can't tell if it's a fish or a boat, but a bunch of gulls are circling around it!" Everyone swerved their heads. There was indeed an odd mass in the distance; the air around it was swarming with seagulls.

Sanji spoke up. "I've heard that when birds circle in open water, it's a sign of a school of fish. Luffy, grab us some lunch." Luffy grinned and cocked his fist. Nami, having one of her premonitions, packed up her stuff and moved away from the front of the ship, leaving just the sleeping Zoro.

"Gomu Gomu no Amidori! (Rubber Net-Catch)" Luffy's arm stretched to its limit, reaching all the way to the barely visible mass in the sea. Evidently grabbing hold of something, Luffy started reeling in his arm, the angle of his shoulders hinting at one inevitable conclusion. Sanji's eyes widened as he saw it coming, and hit the deck of the ship. Zoro was not so lucky. Luffy's arm reeled in, his hand and the figure clutched in his hand swinging like a wrecking ball across the front half of the ship.

The figure and Zoro collided, dropping an unconscious girl onto the deck and sending a very rudely awakened swordsmen flying into the open ocean. As Gin and Usopp rushed to send out a life-line, Leum heard all the ghosts in the vicinity hush as a demonic voice echoed across the spiritual plane.

"**One of these days, Straw Hat! Just give me a reason!"**

Leum made a mental note to never get on Zoro's bad side if he could help it.

As the homicidal first mate was dragged aboard, the crew surveyed Luffy's 'catch'. It was a girl, looking to be about ten or twelve years old, wearing rather odd attire. She wore an odd kind of hat, a tunic that covered her entire body, and a claw hung on a string around her neck. Her eyes were currently rolled into the back of her head.

The crew picked up the girl and put her on the small bed in the galley, preparing to settle down until she woke up. They didn't have to wait long. Barely half an hour later, the girl sprung up fully conscious. This was most unfortunate, because Usopp had just then leaned over to see it she was still breathing. The end result was a slightly imploded jaw for Usopp and a mild concussion for the girl. "Itai!" she screamed, clutching her head.

Nami spoke up from the table, knowing that she was the only one who could deliver a first impression that wouldn't give the girl a panic attack. "Well, aren't you full of energy? We're glad you're awake, we found you floating at sea. What's your name?"

The girl's face got defensive. "When asking for someone's name, you're supposed to give your own," she tersely said.

Nami smiled reassuringly, trying to calm her down. "I'm sorry. I'm Nami. You've already met Usopp over there. The guy cooking our lunch is Sanji-kun (Nami-swan!), the mean-looking guy with the waistband is Zoro (Shut up, woman!), the guy who looks like he hasn't slept in years is Gin (these bags are hereditary, I can't help it!), and the creepy guy in black is Leum (Might I remind you Nami that I know your mother? You have no idea what kind of blackmail I have on you.)."

Luffy grinned. "I'm Luffy, the captain of this here pirate ship." He failed, as always, to consider the consequences of his words.

"PIRATES!" the girl screamed, her eyes going wide and her jaw dropping. She didn't move a muscle, apparently frozen in shock. She didn't budge until Leum snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, snapping her out of her daze.

"I know this must be a shock, but I'm afraid I'm curious. I want to see what the cards say about you. If you would please halve the deck," Leum requested, holding up a deck of his cards to the girl. As if she were afraid the cards would spontaneously burst into flame, the girl hesitantly picked up roughly half the cards. Leum snatched them out of her hand, ignoring how she flinched. Leum joined the halves, and then carefully shuffled the cards three times. Leum laid down ten cards from the top of the deck on the bed sheets, in a haphazard pattern that only held meaning for him. The albino studied the cards intensely for a full minute, the crew watching in interest, while the girl tried to inch as far away from Leum as she could while still staying on the bed.

Leum nodded to himself and swept up the cards. Calmly putting the deck away, Leum faced the crew. "The cards say they are unavailable. They advise that I ask again later."

Everyone face-faulted, with the exception of Luffy, who just laughed.

The girl sulked in silence, leaving the crew plenty of time to discuss the topic Leum had brought up.

"What did you mean earlier Leum, about the different types of Haki?" Gin asked, his eyes still slightly distrusting.

Leum sighed. "Okay, I'll tell all of you, but keep in mind that my sources are ghosts so old they actually got lost and wandered in from the Grand Line. Half of what I'm about of tell you is pure guesswork on my part. If it weren't for the fact that it makes sense, it would be worthy of Usopp's lies." The downed sniper reflexively cried "Oi,", but no one paid any attention.

"There are three types of Haki: the Color of Observation, the Color of Armament, and the Color of the Conquering King. The last one, also known as Haoushoku, is found in only one in a million 'chosen ones', but we'll get to that later. The Color of Observation allows a person to predict their opponents movements before they even make them. It's like an internal warning system to intent to harm. If you would believe the ramblings of a 600-year old ghost, there once was a pirate who mastered this type to the point that he could literally read the minds of people around him. I've also heard hearsay of how different atmospheric conditions can stimulate it, but I have no idea how that would work out. Nami is the only one among you who has learned to use this type." The crew all nodded, fully aware of Nami's eerily precognitive powers.

"The Color of Armament is something all of you have been making liberal use of. It creates a kind of armor around a person that can augment attacks, provide defense, and even blast force at someone. However, it is very responsive to a user's emotions. For example, Zoro has been unconsciously using it whenever he gets pissed. Luffy's managed to get a good hold on it, which is why everything doesn't randomly collapse around him." The rest of the crew squirmed uncomfortably, images of Arlong Park flashing through their minds.

"The final type, Color of the Conquering King, is something you're born with. You can't train to get it, though I think you can train it if you have it. I have no idea how though, so Luffy's going to remain a crude powerhouse for the time being. As you all are aware, it allows the user to overwhelm the wills of others, though strong-willed persons can be resistant. And that's pretty much everything I've managed to gather."

Usopp, now awake, scratched his head in confusion. "Wait a minute. How is it then that the rest of us can knock people out with Haki? If it's so rare, I doubt that all of us have the Haoushoku."

Leum cocked his head. "Hmm… let me guess. When Luffy's uses Haki, people just fall over in a dead faint, right? And when the rest of you use it, the person's head snaps back like they were punched in the chin?" The crew paused, before they slowly realized that Leum was right. They'd never noticed the detail before, but now that it was pointed out it seemed obvious. "If that's the case, then you all were probably just subconsciously aiming the Color of Armament at their heads. It still knocks them unconscious; it just isn't the same as Haoushoku."

Luffy slowly nodded. "That makes sense. You sure know a lot Leum. Can you please teach me more about Haki?"

Leum took a deep breath. He walked over to Luffy, his face unreadable. Then his head turned into ectoplasm and he literally shouted into Luffy's head, freaking the girl, and indeed the crew, out of their minds. "I JUST TOLD YOU THAT I KNOW NOTHING, YOU RUBBER HEAD! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY USES ALL THIS STUFF!"

Luffy punched his empty hand, completely unfazed. "Ah, you're right. That reminds me." And then he sent a blast so large that Leum went flying into the mast through the open door.

* * *

The next morning, an explosion woke everyone up. The crew rushed onto the deck, to find the girl from yesterday staggering out of the galley, from which poured a great amount of black smoke. "Breakfast is ready!"

The girl had warmed up to the crew overnight, quite literally. Overcome with hunger from denying the food they'd offered her, the girl had slunk towards the fridge, only to narrowly miss the giant mousetrap Sanji had set up for Luffy, whom had woken up the crew with his cries of indignation.

Eating the midnight snack Sanji had cooked up only to prevent Luffy from 'stealing' from her, the girl had instantly melted under the five-star cuisine. Nami had comforted the girl as she assured her that while they were pirates, they definitely weren't ordinary pirates. Leum had compounded the statement by sticking his head up out of the center of the table, giving the girl a heart attack.

Apparently the girl had tried to make it up to them for her behavior by cooking breakfast. Pardon, did I say 'cooking'? I meant to say 'committing', because what was served out to the crew was undoubtedly a crime.

Zoro had eaten onigiri prepared by a total novice that had been stomped into the ground. Those had been more appetizing than what the girl cheerfully doled out onto their plates. It might once have been rice, but it was now pure black and gave off an odor of burnt charcoal. Sanji noted out of the corner of his eye that the concoction had seemed to have destroyed several pieces of his cookware.

"H-how g-generous," Nami said hesitantly, not wanting to hurt the girl's feelings. Zoro asked under his breath if it was even edible. Nami responded by slamming his foot with a Haki-stomp, jamming his plate's contents into his mouth as his mouth opened in pain. Luffy made a comment about it not being bad, seconded by Leum and Gin who were steadily eating their portions. Encouraged, everyone took a bite, even the girl herself.

The heat generated within everyone's mouth was roughly equivalent to the most recent undersea volcano eruption. The cry of "TOO SPICY!" aided by the underlying Haki from the Straw-Hats made ripples in the surrounding water. After consuming her weight in water, the girl starting beating herself up for using too much spice. Sanji, ever the gentlemen, assured her that it was a common mistake.

"Everyone, this girl poured her heart and soul into making this food, and you all will eat your share. This girl… come to think of it, what is your name?" The girl told them her name was Apis.

Luffy commented that it wasn't bad, the entire crew muttering 'of course you'd say that' in response. Suspicion was leveled, however, on Gin and Leum. The former shrugged and said "I've had worse." The latter gave them a look, the long unblinking kind that makes you uncomfortable. "I already have one foot in the grave as is. It's going to take a lot more that this to finish me off."

When the whole chaos had died down, the crew started interrogating in earnest, though Leum was oddly absent. Apis admitted to being from Gunkan Island, named for its silhouette, but she had been forced onto a Marine ship which she had narrowly escaped. Zoro and Gin, both realists, started asking probing questions as to why the Marines would use so much energy detaining her. She hemmed and hawed, before simply pleading "I can't tell you, I swore not to! I just want to go home!"

If the shadow of death hovering behind Sanji was any indication, the time for interrogation had now passed.

Nami consulted her maps, and announced that Gunkan Island was only a little ways off their current course. Apis, a tad guilty at the burden she placed on the Straw-Hats, said she could just take a rowboat, but Nami wouldn't hear of it. After a quick consultation with Luffy, i.e. asking and getting a 'hell yes!' the crew was set for Gunkan Island.

It was not an auspicious start.

"My comrades! There appears to be an entire fleet of Marine ships off of our bow! Let us show them the power of our hearts and the stunning skills of the noble Sogeking!" Ah, a side-note. Usopp had been randomly slipping into his other persona since Loguetown. The long-nosed man had so far refused to sink so low as to ask Luffy advice on controlling your alter ego.

Almost before the crew had gotten on deck, cannon fire thundered from the lead ship. The cannonballs landed within meters of the Going Merry, sending up great jets of water. Recovering from the shockwave, Apis gasped in horror. "Those ships are from the Eighth Division, the one I ran from! I didn't know they'd look for me this far!"

A voice echoed across the water towards them. "Straw Hat Pirates, this is your only warning! You are hereby under arrest by order of Commodore Nelson Royale! Acknowledge surrender now or we will open fire. You have one minute."

Luffy grinned reassuringly down at Apis's panicked expression. "Don't worry, we're pirates! We'd be fighting them anyway!" As the Monster Trio started arguing over how they would attack, Apis turned her head to regard a pigeon perched on the deck with great intensity.

"There's a wind coming. A big wind," she said suddenly. Nami paused, before putting her own navigation senses to the atmosphere. Her eyes widened in recognition. "There's a squall coming! Guys, prepare the ship! Turn the sail south, we'll blow right past these Marines!"

There was a frenzy of activity, and just as the Marines were about to attack, a sudden wind tore through the area. The ships were thrown into disarray, except for the Going Merry, which flew through the water. Oddly, the Marines did not pursue. In fact, they seemed to be going the other way.

The ship finally slowed to a stop. Nami breathed a sigh of relief, as Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji started talking about their lucky break. The redhead noticed that both Zoro and Gin were looking around with bemused expressions. "What is it?"

Gin grunted noncommittally, while Zoro shrugged and said "Nothing, it just seems like we haven't moved at all for a while." Nami paused, before noticing the fact that the sail was utterly slack.

Leum literally appeared out of thin air, right by Nami's shoulder, causing her to jump. "Ah, home sweet home. I must say, that wind blew us much farther south than I expected. Oh well, this will be interesting at the very least." His nonchalance was at odds with the situation, but the first words out of his mouth were a confirmation of Nami's worst fear.

Her scream tore through the air, causing all activity to cease. Nami clutched the rail like it was her sole link to life and love. She was shivering, and a cold sweat had broken out all over her body. "THIS IS TERRIBLE! WE'VE ENTERED THE CALM BELT!"

The entire crew looked at her in confusion, except for Leum, who seemed to be waiting for something.

"Everyone, take in the sails and start rowing! Get us back to where we just left now!"

This was received with the incredulity that it deserved. Usopp groaned "But we just got away from there! There were Marines in case you forgot."

"Why are you getting so worked up?" Gin asked, the most serious of the crew besides Nami and Leum. He had first-hand experience with the Grand Line's propensity to ignore common sense. They might be in very real danger.

Nami was about to pull out a map and give a lecture, but Leum intervened. "Allow me, Nami. I _did_ grow up here, if you remember." Nami acquiesced, her eyes darting around the ship as if expecting monsters to appear out of nowhere. If so, it's because she was.

Leum cleared his throat. "Some of you would completely miss a lecture, so I'll resort to some pretty pictures." So saying, he flung his arms wide and yelled "KON KON TRANSFORM!" With that, he exploded into a fine mist, composed of the glowing blue-white substance the crew recognized as ectoplasm. While everyone dealt with a mild panic attack, the mist reformed into a giant, animated map of the Grand Line and the two Calm Belts. Leum's voice boomed out towards them from some disembodied source.

"Calm Belt for Morons, class is in session. We need to keep this quick, so pay attention. There's a reason why people can't just sail into the Grand Line. That reason is the Calm Belt, a stretch of ocean on both sides of the Grand Line." On the map, a caravel much like the Going Merry cheerily sailed into a green stretch of ocean labeled Calm Belt, where it slowed to a halt.

"In the Calm Belt, there are no winds and no ocean currents. It exists in a constant state of still, 'calm' water." Tiny stick figures on the ship poked the sail and rudder, but the ship refused to move. Luffy and Usopp were paying apt attention, while Zoro and Gin watched impassively and Sanji hovered protectively near Nami and Apis, starting to get a bad feeling.

"In case you're wondering why people don't just row through, here's why." With a simple finality, a giant fish head popped out of the water, swallowing the ship whole, before diving once more.

There was pure silence on the Going Merry. "As you can see, the Calm Belt is also the breeding ground of the largest Sea Kings in the world. This class is now dismissed. 'Rowing for Your Life like a Bat out of Hell 101' begins in five minutes."

With that cheerful statement, Leum reformed himself, where he found himself staring into the flabbergasted eyes of the crew and a little girl. "Did I stutter? RUN, PEOPLE! RUN FOR YOUR MOTHERFUCKING LIVES!"

The crew burst into action, but it was already too late.

The sea shook as the entire surface seemed to explode. There was a dizzying moment of motion upward, and then the Straw-Hats found themselves panicking. Why? Because they were currently on the nose of a creature, oddly colored like a cow, which had a _pupil_ larger than the Going Merry. They were also surrounded by countless sea creatures on a similar scale.

Gin slowly turned to face Leum, who seemed resigned to the situation. "You grew up here?"

"Yup."

"No wonder you're insane."

"Why thank you."

Zoro, always the most serious in any situation, hissed instructions at everyone. "Listen, just stay still. They'll go down eventually. Then we row until our arms fall off."

A decent plan, but one that will never be realized.

"THEY'RE SO HUGE! WE'RE DEAD!" Usopp simply couldn't restrain himself. With a ruthlessness only a woman can possess, Nami shaped her Haki into a solid block of force which she aimed with exact precision to the effect of making Usopp sing soprano. It was rather counterproductive, but their cover had already been blown, and it made her feel better.

The beast tilted its head to the side, sending the unanchored Apis flying into the open air. She screamed at the top of her lungs, as a frog from below launched itself from below to catch the tiny treat. The crew watched in horror, except for Luffy. The captain had found himself moving even before Apis had left the deck. He couldn't really put it into words, but it was as if the scene had 'flashed' through his mind before it had happened. _'Hmm, guess Nami isn't the only one who can do this.'_

Luffy swung his arm up, taking Apis out of the frog's reach, ignoring her startled cry of "His arm stretched!" What he _did_ pay attention to was the girl yelling at him "Luffy, swing me at the thing's nose!" Complying, the captain swung the little girl at the nostril of the Going Merry's newest dry dock.

"What are you doing with that girl?" Sanji yelled, his chivalry carrying over to even this young bud of the fairer sex. Luffy intelligently replied "No idea." The girl's diabolical plan became evident, however, when she swung out of the nostril and began reeling in towards the ship with possibly the world's largest nose hair clutched in her arms.

The crew barely had time to marvel at the suicidal gall of the grinning girl before their world shook with the tremors of a massive sneeze that slowly built and until it exploded out from the beast below them, sending them flying through the air.

"WE'RE FLYING!" was the universal cry of the crew, most with horror, one with glee, and one with blasé interest. The Going Merry hopscotched through the water quite haphazardly from there until it reached the safe waters of East Blue. The entire population of the ship was in disarray, sans the second-newest denizen, who merely glided to a halt before solidifying back on deck. Those Devil-Fruit users, always getting the last laugh, aren't they?

* * *

In 24 hours, the crew found itself in a very odd position. This position being in the living room of Apis's home, slowly starving, while simultaneously being bored to death by an old man who apparently had eidetic memory.

Earlier that day, the crew had arrived at Gunkan Island, despite a mild panic among the dumber members of the crew due to the morning fog. The Straw-Hats found a rather hostile welcoming party, which had been swiftly assuaged by Apis's good word and the one-track mind Luffy displayed when his first words were a question as to if there was a meat store on the island.

When questioned as to why the Marines, who apparently were still snooping around, had detained her in the first place, Apis feigned ignorance, even though she had simply said she couldn't say while on the ship. Suspicion grew among the 'wise' portions of the crew.

They had been saved/doomed by the arrival of Apis's grandfather, Bokuden, who invited all of them over for a lunch of butaman (pork-filled buns) at his house. Joy's body gave some post-mortem twitching when the crew discovered that Apis's grandfather used a very old method of cooking that took five hours.

While waiting for their torturously late meal, the crew made a fresh attempt at questioning Apis, which was overheard by Bokuden. The beginning of their condemnation had seemed simple enough. "This island doesn't have much, but we do have our Legend," the grandfather said in his wheezy voice. "We were descended from the Lost Island, which sank thousands of years ago." From that point onward, the man had Leum's undivided attention. "Lost Island was famous for the Sennenryu, the Thousand Year Dragons, and their Ryuukotsu, the Dragon Bones rumored to grant eternal life. However, both have been lost to legend."

Nami mused "That's interesting, but why would the Marines chase some old story? Is there a clue in the legend or something?" That had been the beginning of the end. The old man had then proceeded to give a complete, highly detailed account of the entire legend and the history of Lost Island. And by 'highly detailed', I mean he described each monarch's accomplishments. And then his sons' achievements. And the marriages of each king's second nephew thrice removed. And any major events in the world at the time. With _quotes_.

Apis hung her head about an hour in. "Whenever he starts on this, he just won't stop." The crew could only belatedly agree. They all tried to cope under this never-ending assault, but they could only take so much. Sanji smoked cigarettes by the pack, while Zoro simply followed form and took a nap. Gin tried to distract himself by spinning his tonfa, but that distraction was banned when he accidentally pulverized a chair. Nami and Usopp slowly sunk into a stupor, bound by manners to listen, while Luffy merely fell into a coma of hunger. Leum alone appeared unaffected, attentively listening even as the sun began to sink in the sky. Apis had snuck out long ago.

Luffy, half-asleep, wandered off muttering "Gotta take a piss." After twenty minutes, Nami snuck out after him, both to escape and to check up on him. She followed the sound of snoring to the cooking hut, where her blood pressure quadrupled. The butaman were gone. All. Gone. The only one left was hanging by Luffy's gaping mouth.

"**BAKA!**" she screamed, actually cracking the nearby windows, and sending Luffy flying into a wall. He got up, completely unharmed, chewing the bun that had fallen into his mouth. "This is really good," he noted absently, oblivious to the seething woman right behind him.

"Hold, Nami." Leum, as was swiftly becoming habit, appeared right behind the person he was talking to. He instinctively ducked the slap at his head, but Nami had foreseen such, and followed up with a kick to his face. She'd forgotten to imbue the blow, though, so Leum just turned intangible and let it fly through him.

"Why are you defending him? He just ate all our dinner!" At times like these, the phrase "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" just didn't seem to cut it.

Luffy was still chewing, completely ignoring Leum has the albino walked up beside him. "If you'll note, there's a trail leading away from the hut, as if a small girl had dragged a heavy bag full of food away. But, if you need further proof, observe."

Taking a deep breath, Leum blew out a fine mist, shimmering with the iridescent blue sheen of his element. Before Nami's eyes, the mist formed into ghostly characters that moved like shadows around the room. "Kon Kon Rewind, a rather useful ability that lets me read the spiritual remnants in a certain area, thereby effectively replaying the recent past. Take a good look."

Nami watched stunned as a small outline of a girl, undoubtedly Apis, loaded all the buns into a bag, tying it closed. The echo of Luffy stumbled in, not able to see Apis hiding with a frying pan ready to hit him in the head. It seemed unnecessary, as the ghost-Luffy simply fell over forward, apparently asleep. Ghost-Apis laid a single butaman on Luffy's head, before dragging the bag full of food away, mirroring the trench.

Luffy jumped to his feet. "Mystery trail, let's follow it." With that, the captain followed the ghostly echo of Apis, Leum and Nami right behind him. Leum explained to Nami, since Luffy wasn't listening, how the Rewind stayed in effect as long as he was within ten feet of an echo. This meant that they could literally walk in Apis's footsteps until they reached her current location.

They kept a steady pace, always keeping within range of the doggedly-moving shade. Even a ten-foot gap didn't give them pause; Luffy merely extended into a 'suspension bridge' for Nami to cross as Leum floated over. Within ten minutes, they found themselves outside a cave on the back of the mountain.

As the three Straw-Hats entered, they heard Apis's voice ahead. "Come on, Ryuuji, eat up… oh, some Marines kidnapped me… I was fine, some weird pirates saved me… I promise to keep looking, so don't give up, you hear?"

Whether it be good or evil, subtlety is not in Luffy's vocabulary. "Oh, Apis, there you are, who you talking to?" The girl in question came into sight, spreading her arms to try and hide some giant mass right behind her. The shadows hid it, but it was obviously some living creature, if the rumbling of its breathing was an indication.

"Stay away!" she valiantly yelled, but it was no use. Luffy, Nami and Leum all stopped and stared as they got close enough to make out the creature in the dim light.

It was a dragon. Like, a _real_ dragon. Two or three times as large as an elephant, a giant, feathered creature with claws and folded wings lay on the floor of the cave, staring at them with dull, melancholy eyes. Its age was obvious by the bald patch on its head and the wrinkles on its face. But that didn't change the fact that it was _a freakin' dragon!_

Luffy started fawning over it like a kid with a puppy, despite Apis's strongest attempts to keep him away. Nami clutched her heart. "H-how is this possible? I thought dragons were just things in stories." Leum made no response, drawing Nami's attention to him. She was shocked by the look on his face.

It was like a starving man who was staring at a giant feast through a window. It was such a hungry, intense look of longing, so full of desire and remorse, that it left Nami breathless just by seeing it. The stark lines of Leum's pale face became gaunt and strained, which combined with the shadows of his cowl and the cave to make him seem like some half-revived skeleton.

His eyes glowed like torches though, and Nami was reminded of the passion he'd broadcasted when he'd spoke of the Lost Country. She could relate to that at least, and she relaxed a little when she made the connection. Here was a living, breathing piece of history, right in front of him. She'd probably look the same if she ever found a full map of the northern hemisphere: coming face to face with something that was tantalizingly close to your dream, but just not quite. She could understand the bittersweet joy running through Leum right now.

All at once, Luffy ground to a halt, looking intensely at the dragon. He sat down. "I see, you want to go home." Apis gaped, before cocking her head.

"Ryuuji says it's okay to be friends with you, Luffy. He says you're a good person. But how do you understand him?"

Nami glanced at Leum, who was slowly regaining his composure. He didn't seem the least bit mystified. Her mind, logical after hours of studying meteorology, saw the link immediately. "It must be the Devil's Fruit. You've eaten one, haven't you Apis?"

Apis nodded as she fully explained the tale. She had eaten the Hiso Hiso no Mi, which allowed her to hear the whispers in the hearts of animals. She had heard Ryuuji's sad voice one day, and followed it to the source. Ryuuji was indeed a Sennenryu, but he'd grown lost and was unable to find his way home. Losing the ability of flight, he could no longer remember the location of the Dragon's Nest, a place where he might be able to regain his strength, hidden somewhere on Lost Island, the island that had sunk so long ago. However, Ryuuji claimed that the island would rise again, and soon. Unfortunately, he could not remember where.

"I looked and looked, but I couldn't find any clue in the legend or anywhere. So I asked a passing Marine, but that was a mistake. They were looking for the Ryuukotsu. I was wearing the claw pendent Ryuuji gave me, so I guess they thought I knew where to find them." She clutched Ryuuji's claw, fear and worry etched in every line of her young face for her friend.

Luffy was silent as he stood up. He touched Hat, and said "That's what we're going to do. We're going to find Lost Island and make Ryuuji get better. And that's that." Nami knew better than to try and talk him out of it, so she just shook her head and wondered how the rest of the crew would take this.

* * *

Not well was the answer.

"Gwaaaaaaaaaah!" Usopp gaped, his lower jaw level with his knees. Zoro and Sanji stared in shock, choking on their own spit. Nami and Luffy stood by the side waiting, while Apis was cheerfully perched on Ryuji's head. Leum seemed to be in a bit of a trance, not moving and taking oddly deep breaths.

When the escapees returned to liberate their fellows, they'd found them all asleep while Bokuden somehow managed to continue his history _in his sleep_. It boggled the mind, really.

However, right at that moment, a villager had burst in and alerted them that Marines were in the harbor. Upon hearing this, Gin had immediately made for the door. In his mind, his duty as ship guard superseded discovering Apis's secret. He'd barely stuck around for Nami to give him a rendezvous point before he took off for the docks to defend the Going Merry.

And now here we are.

"So, as you get closer to the Grand Line, you see things like this," Zoro commented to himself, his eyes never leaving the Sennenryu as he maintained a hold on his swords. Sanji made a similar remark on the uniqueness of Ryuuji.

"I-i-is it tame?" Usopp stuttered, his mouth still mimicking a boa. Apparently, Ryuuji liked snake, because he promptly licked Usopp from head to toe.

Apis spoke up from her perch on the dragon's head. "Oh, he's a bit senile; if he thinks you're food then he'll eat you." This was proven accurate, if Usopp's head between Ryuuji's jaws was an indication.

"Avast ye, foul demon! Do you dare presume to think you can contain the mighty Sogeking?" So saying, the 180 of Usopp's persona began to knock away at the mouth holding his head with a hammer. Everyone in the immediate vicinity sweat-dropped, including Ryuuji.

'_Alright, that does it, I can't believe I'm even thinking this, but he needs some therapy with Luffy.'_ Nami shook her head in annoyance, before she, Luffy and Apis laid out the basic plan to the rest of the crew.

Unable to combat the evil dominance of the dreaded Super Cute Eyes, the crew acknowledged their newest adventure was upon them.

The first order of business was to build a cart to get Ryuuji down the mountain. The fact that the possibility of doing that inconspicuously didn't exist didn't seem to faze Nami as she quickly ordered the men of the crew into acquiring lumber. Within five minutes, the small forest around the cave had been punched/kicked/sliced into neat piles of massive logs.

As Usopp put the finishing touches on his latest carpentry project, Leum spoke up from where he'd been doing nothing, surprising everyone. Really, unless you paid attention, that guy could walk right past you and you wouldn't notice.

"I've been gathering information on Lost Island, but we've got a more immediate problem. It would seem that Gin is in need of assistance in securing the ship. I volunteer for the relief force."

Nami smiled uneasily. "Um, are you sure Leum? I mean, you and Gin aren't exactly on the best terms. You sure you should go down there alone?"

When Leum deadpanned, it was like looking into a death mask. "That is exactly the point, Nami-san. By serving as his reinforcement, I will be able to prove my worth to Gin. Also, my powers are best suited to stealth and intimidation. I'd be much better off with distracting the Marines after Gin than defending Ryuuji. Adieu."

With that, Leum shifted into his ghost form and took the most direct route to the town harbor, i.e. through the cliff face. Barely a second afterwards, a pigeon landed on a nearby branch. Evidently, it carried bad news, for Apis immediately gasped. "Oh no, there's a host of Marines climbing up the mountain. They're coming right towards us!"

* * *

Gin clenched his teeth. He understood the idea of 'quality over quantity', but the Marines never missed an opportunity to abuse both ends of that adage until it wasn't even funny. No matter the size of the force, whenever a pirate crew confronted a Marine host, it seemed as if there were a limitless amount of cannon fodder liberally spread with 'barely-break-a-sweat' lackeys with the occasional 'okay, keep half an eye on that one' brute.

Gin had grown stronger since joining the Straw-Hats, even in such a short time. His experience with the bulk of Arlong's crew proved that. However, the devil-man found himself stuck in a moral quandary that made it so he was still under a mild threat.

'Dammit, if I use Haki I could mow them down, but then they'd all probably by cripples if not worse. Uh, why did I have to grow a conscience, WHY?'

Gin was currently fighting his way towards the Going Merry, constantly fighting against the tide of Marines coming off the docked ships. Gin knew that if he didn't kick his ass into gear that some idiot would decide to blow up the ship, to hell with the lethal shrapnel that would mow down their own forces.

Just as the highest ranking officer back on the Marine ship was about to order a fresh wave, he felt a terrible cold in his chest. Looking down, he could only gasp in shock and terror at seeing a _human hand_ sticking out of his chest! He looked over his shoulder, shock already seizing his muscles, only to look into the calm, cold face of death. The Lieutenant promptly fainted.

Gin finished playing pinball with random Ensign A's kneecaps, and was just about to move onto the next when an echoing voice filed the air.

"_Kon Kon… __**Nightmare!**_" With that, Leum's face changed. His hair grew to reach his waist in an instant, which then billowed around his head as if in a hurricane. His eyes turned a pure blood red, his mouth widened and grew full of fangs, and two twisting, demonic horns grew out of his head.

Howling like a banshee, Leum's feet left the ground as he flew through the Marines, always taking care to come at them head on. The instant the law-keepers saw his terrifying visage, they one and all screamed hysterically before collapsing with foam at their mouths. A few men of weaker conditions lost control of their bowels as well before losing consciousness.

Within thirty seconds of appearing behind the Lieutenant, Leum incapacitated the entire Marine force harassing Gin.

Said ship guard leaned one of his tonfa against his shoulder as he emotionlessly studied Leum, whom had solidified on the deck of the Going Merry.

"… I guess I owe you one," Gin said dryly, prodding one of the petrified Marines with his shoe.

Leum's lips twitched upward as he clasped his amulet in his hand. "No need. All savings of nakama come free of charge. Now, might I suggest we maneuver this boat to that oddly-characteristic cape so that this latest madness can get started?"

* * *

The rest of the Straw-Hats found themselves facing a large Marine force, all of them armed with pistols and swords, who had now declared hostile intent.

Poor idiots. The Marines, I mean.

Really, it was becoming painfully obvious that the Straw-Hats were growing too strong for the East Blue to hold. Hell, even Usopp could have taken down all of them, even without Sogeking's interference.

The exchange lasted all of seven seconds. After Luffy blocked all the bullets aimed at Ryuuji, each of the males had unleashed one barrage, while Nami calmly supervised and jerked Apis out of the way of any stray bullets.

From behind the decimated Marines came one of the most oddly dressed men any of the pirates there had seen and they'd confronted the entirety of the Buggy Crew.

The man had lilac-shaded hair which grew up in a gravity-defying nature, somewhat resembling the top of a soft-serve ice cream cone. He wore an immaculate suit with an odd kind of tie-clip resembling a feather, and his eyes were covered by wrap-around sunglasses approximately the width of Zoro's swords laid flat.

While the leader of the Marines gaped in awe, the odd man calmly walked forward. One of the Marines near the back got up and staggered down the slope, and into the man's path. Without so much as looking, the man slashed his fingers in a diagonal motion. The Marine collapsed to his side, his chest cut open.

"You're in my way," the man said, whom had a very unpleasant, snooty tone of voice. He came to a halt before addressing the crew.

"I am Erik the Whirlwind, a mercenary under the employ of Nelson Royale! I have no interest in you lowly pirates, only with the Ryuukotsu behind you. I suggest you surrender. I ate the Kama Kama no Mi, and trust me when I say that you don't want to cross me in battle."

He continued with some more vainglorious bullshit, while the crew discussed him.

"Who is he?" Sanji asked listlessly, lighting a cigarette.

"He mentioned a Kama Kama no Mi," Zoro commented.

"Okama?" Luffy asked curiously, cocking his head.

"Ah, yes, that would explain his wardrobe," Usopp mentioned off-handedly. While most of his fighting spirit was now part of an alternate persona, that wasn't to say that regular old Usopp couldn't grow a spine. It just happened to be made of cardboard. Until the strange man did something dangerous, he could trick himself into believing he was harmless.

"Whatever, just deal with him. The Going Merry still isn't in position," Nami casually commanded, once again making parts of the crew (i.e. not Luffy) to wonder just who was the captain of the crew.

Erik, whom had gotten steadily redder as he was ignored, exploded. "Shut up! I shall simply kill you insolent brats to get the Ryuukotsu! Taste the wrath of my Akuma no Mi!" Erik shook two fingers in a motion not unlike a rattlesnake's rattle, before slicing the air with his manicured claws of fingernails, yelling "Kama Kama no Tsumujikaze!"

An instant before the attack was unleashed, Luffy became serious. "Everyone, remember why I taught you how to use it! Show him what Akuma no Mi mean to us!"

The next second, a razor-sharp gust of wind whistled from the arc created by Erik's nails the mysterious energies of the Akuma no Mi imbuing the wind to give them Meitou-level deadliness…

Which blew harmlessly past, the energy of the Akuma no Mi negated by the barriers of a different kind of energy that each member of the crew had produced, which had provided enough overlap to shield the aging dragon and small girl with them as well.

Erik gaped, shocked speechless at the impotence of his prized ability. Luffy grinned like an idiot, but the edges of Not-Luffy surfaced, making the grin seem like the single most sadistic, frightening thing the mercenary had ever seen. "That stuff won't work on us. Better luck next time, Okama-man."

With that, the entire crew hopped onto the cart with Ryuuji, Sanji's legs providing the takeoff; the Going Merry had just reached Usopp's Nose.

It was easily the most exhilarating three minutes of Apis's life, and she spent half the time screaming her head off. The crew completely blew past Erik, who had recovered enough sense to jump out of the way, before barreling down the mountainside. Any and all obstacles were dealt with by Luffy's fists, with auxiliary cleaning by Zoro and Sanji. Usopp had joined Apis in screaming his head off.

When the cart flew off the cape, managing to completely trash the mast of the ship that had just managed to catch up with Gin and Leum, it proved once again that Lady Luck seemed determined to give Luffy her babies.

Leum cocked his head as he watched his new nakama and a thousand-year old reptilian aviary fly over his head on a wooden crate. "I suppose I should get used to this. Oh well, at least I'll never get bored."

Gin gaped. "Holy shit, was that a dragon?"

**

* * *

So, yeah. The ending is a tad rushed, but I just wanted to get his done as soon as possible to make up for my extremely long delay. Let's just say that when you combine A.P.s with winter workouts for Crew and a natural procrastinator, the writing of fanfiction kind of falls on the backburner. Hope this is adequate and, as always, please review. Ja ne!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, let's try this again. Enjoy!**

* * *

Leum stood still. Before him was a ravenous, unstoppable monster. One that would devour all in its path and wreak untold havoc in order to get what it desired. One false move on his part, and he would find himself lost forever.

"Well, Leum?" Nami asked, her smile making a mockery of kindness, as it promised him pain and destruction. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

Leum cocked his head in mild puzzlement. Not too much, of course. Sudden movement might trigger an attack. "Is there any particular reason why you're acting like this?"

Nami laughed, and the echoes of maniacal villains across the ages resounded in her voice. "Oh, you know, considering that there is no navigational device that can find a sunken island, and our guide is a senile old lizard, I just supposed that our brand-new resident medium could point us in the right direction." Nami paused to look around her, ignoring how every other person on the ship scurried out of her line of sight.

"But, what do you know? It's been an hour, and we're still sailing aimlessly through the ocean, while an entire fleet of Marines are right on our tail." Nami giggled, and it was the single most disturbing thing that Leum had ever heard. "Do you get what I'm trying to say, dear Leum?"

Leum sighed. He would never understand women. No man ever had or ever would, not fully. It was one of the fundamental truths of history. "Did it ever occur to you to just ask me?"

A Haki-coated dress shoe crashed down with 'moderate' force on Leum's head. "Don't talk with such impudence to Nami-san!" Sanji then proceeded to smoke hearts and wiggle for his redheaded nakama, who was pinching the bridge of her nose in a failing attempt to ward off a headache.

The crew had all gathered at the back of the boat after losing sight of the Marines. Most of the time had been spent catching Gin up to date on Ryuuji and Lost Island. Zoro was currently napping, while everyone else was watching the ongoing spectacle. Luffy was wondering why he felt a tad odd when Sanji was fawning over Nami (he put it down to a stomachache), while Usopp and Apis watched in mute embarrassment.

Leum's head dissolved into ectoplasm, reforming without the bump that Sanji's leg had delivered, acting as if nothing had happened. "To answer your question, Nami-san, I have learned of an ancient island, frequented by the Sennenryu, which has been hidden by some force, in the general vicinity of Gunkan Island. Whether or not it is Lost Island, however, is up for debate."

Apis spoke up. "What are you talking about? Of course it's Lost Island; what else could it be!" Apis rushed to the deck, looking down at the dozing Ryuuji, still on his cart as it was dragged behind the Going Merry. "You hear that, Ryuuji! We know where Lost Island is! It won't be too long now, okay?" The sight of her childlike happiness and enthusiasm softened everyone there, with Luffy grinning like a loon.

Nami sighed. "Okay, okay. Leum, how do we reach this island?"

The albino answered without any hesitation or smirking. "I need a map of the area around Gunkan Island. Then, I'll need a little space." Both were given within minutes.

Leum spread the map across the floor of the deck, before sitting down with crossed legs. He pulled out a crystal pendant from his robes, creating confusion among the crew. "Uh, Leum? Why are you playing with your fortuneteller toys at a time like this?" Usopp froze as Leum turned to face him. Those eyes would definitely take some getting used to.

"I told you all that I used the soothsayer paraphernalia in order to make some cash when I needed it. I never said that they didn't work." Leum closed his eyes and bowed his head, a crease of concentration forming as he hung the pendant from his hand over the map, giving it plenty of slack.

"Just as wood rots and fires die down, spirits fade with time. The exact rate depends on the strength of the person's spirit, as well as several other factors such as location and the time of death. After a certain length of time, however, every spirit dissolves into the ether. The only reason I even know about the Void Century is because the kings and rulers of that era were some of the more resilient spirits in history." The pendant had begun to swing, even though Leum was keeping his hand as still as possible.

"Even when they disappear, though, spirits and ghosts can still influence the world around them. It can be something as simple as a 'vibe' or as drastic as a chronic weather condition. Their knowledge lingers in much the same way." The crew now had their eyes glued to the spinning pendant, which seemed to be moving completely independently of Leum's hand.

"Those fortunetellers that aren't complete frauds have some talent in tapping into that knowledge in order to best predict what will come next. With my particular talents, I can access the ether much more than all but the most prodigious seer, even if it must be through tools." The pendant was spiraling now, slowly honing in on a single point on the map.

"Therefore, I am fairly confident that the island we are looking for will be located…" The pendant suddenly fell to touch the map, the sharpened tip actually penetrating the paper and the wood beneath. "… Here"

Nami studied the spot, before shouting orders to the crew. "Everyone, get to your positions. Our bearing is 12 degrees east by northeast! We're on our way to Lost Island."

"WAHOO!" came the enthusiastic reply from Luffy, Apis, and Usopp. Gin merely kicked Zoro awake while Sanji practically floated to the tiller in the galley.

They were on their way.

* * *

The way was scary.

Currently a third of the crew was catatonic in shock, half was confused yet calm, while the captain himself had a look of childish rapture on his face.

They had been making steady progress to the location marked by Leum's scrying, the crew absorbed in relaxed work. Sanji and Zoro and had been steadily making their way through the dishes (with Sanji apparently not trusting Zoro to not drop each one without a warning), Usopp and Nami had been fondly watching Apis converse with Ryuuji, Gin had been leaning against the deck and keeping an eye on the Marines following them at a fair distance, while Luffy just stared at the sea while sitting on his Special Seat, Leum lying prone on the railing next to him.

Then a smudge had appeared right in front of the ship. There was no other way to describe it. Like the curious child he really was, Luffy reached out a foot to touch the odd apparition… that had _rippled_ into a perfect reflection of the Going Merry!

"So that's how it worked. A quasi-substantial spirit-based veil. I'd wondered," Leum had muttered to himself, looking utterly unconcerned with the impossibility staring him in the face.

"Oi, Nami, isn't this cool? Come look at this!" Luffy had turned to face the crow's nest, wanting to share this fun new thing with Nami first… which provided a whole lot of psychological cues to those who paid any attention.

"I-I'm already looking at it," Nami had stuttered, frozen stiff in disbelief, while Usopp did his best imitation of "Wax Sculpture of a Boy who Shat Himself in Fear".

Then they had started to move _into the reflection!_

"Look! I'm here… now I'm not… here… not… Na—" Luffy had said haphazardly, sticking his head in and out of the intangible wall the ship was breaching, until he was swallowed up completely. Leum followed soon after. Nami had time for one scream before she and Usopp vanished. By the time Gin or Apis turned around, or Zoro and Sanji left the kitchen, the entire ship had already entered.

"Hm. I wondered why Nami-swan had screamed. It's just gotten cloudy." Sanji lit a cigarette while Zoro stood next to him in similar, if silent, confusion.

While Luffy explained in his childlike way what had happened to the other two members of the Monster Trio, Nami was attempting to rationalize what had just happened. "It must have been a mirage! I've read about them. When warm and cold water meet, the distortion can bend the light into odd images!"

"Close, but no Beri," Leum said, suddenly in the crow's nest instead of down on deck. Usopp and Nami were by now so used to this that they barely twitched. "It's actually an example of what I was talking about earlier, about lingering spiritual influence. Whatever society existed on the island we're headed towards felt they had to protect something. They continue to do this from the grave with the veil we just passed…"

As sudden as flipping a switch, rain started falling down in solid sheets. Lightning and thunder began to flash and rumble respectively across the sky.

"…And this hurricane-level thunderstorm," Leum finished, utterly unfazed by the water falling so thick that he just might drown standing upright.

The crew exploded into action.

"Take in the sails! Hard to starboard! Aim for the eye!" Nami was in full navigator-mode, more in touch with the weather than her own skin at the moment. The males of the crew rushed to follow her orders. Nami gazed into the storm, almost as if staring it down, trying to anticipate it's next move.

"Leum! Can you talk the spirits into lightening up?" Usopp was all but shouting to make his voice heard over the wind as he tied up the main sail. Leum, who was doing the same thing at the other, shook his head, still as cool as a cucumber.

"Even if the storm was still being consciously controlled by ghosts, I am _not_ a Paramecia-type. I know a lot of my powers push the line, but my ability is essentially turning myself into a ghost. I just have a whole lot of fringe benefits that most Logia-types don't have. _I_ can hear ghosts, but _they_ can't hear me. Apis is making a break for Ryuuji, by the way."

Leum had one of those peculiar voice that can always be clearly heard, even in the middle of a storm. So Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, and Gin knew to turn in worry/annoyance… only to find Luffy already chasing after the overly dedicated girl. It really was a godsend, his sudden grasp of the Color of Observation. Having not one, but _two_ psychics on a ship that attracted a lot of trouble (see cannonballs, lightning bolts, foes with paranormal abilities, etc.) made life so much easier.

There was a good deal of Not-Luffy present as Apis found herself caught and restrained by rubber arms. After all, the girl was complicating a struggle for survival against the very real threat of the storm.

"Let me go! Ryuuji needs me!" The girl was kicking and screaming and generally making a big fuss of herself. It was annoying, and disruptive.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, Luffy brought up a little less Haki than he had used against Coby and let it out. Apis stiffened and fainted. Given both the lesser size of the blast and Apis's considerably stronger will, she'd be out for barely an hour. Still, Luffy felt bad that he'd used it. There must be more of his personal shoulder demon in charge than he'd thought. He'd need to work on his barriers again. Maybe at the same time he taught Usopp to make his own.

Luffy snapped out of his daydreaming as one of Apis's fears were realized. The ropes holding Ryuuji's cart to the boat were coming undone. Reflexively, Luffy grabbed each rope and infused it with Haki, or the Color of Armament, rather.

One of the bad things about rubber: it stretches even when you don't want it to. No matter how hard Luffy tensed his arms, they still stretched as both the immense tide and Ryuuji's considerable mass pulled against him.

Suddenly Nami was there.

"Nami! What are you doing?" Luffy yelled, much more worried about his lone female nakama being near the edge of the ship during a storm than he would be about any other. Of course, there was also the issue of the crew being left headless in the middle of a storm. Oddly, Luffy felt the second concern wasn't nearly as important as the first.

"I saw you were in trouble! Leum knows the way to the island and Usopp knows the ship better than I do anyway! Now shut up and keep that grip!" Nami didn't pause to see if her captain listened to her, rushing forward to retie the knots. Of course, given that she was wearing high-heels, was debatably the weakest member of the crew (Usopp was a real toss-up, and Leum had yet to be tested), and was near the edge of a small ship in a massive storm, Luffy was good and worried.

That eventually faded as Luffy watched her make swift, confident work of the knots. He was reminded that she had sailed on her own for almost ten years before they had first met. As time went by and Nami began double-checking her work, Luffy noted other details. The way her hair fell around her face like a fiery halo. The flash of triumph in her eyes as she saw how firm the knots were holding. The way her clothes clung to her body in the rain.

When Nami turned to look at him, he stared right into her eyes. She stared back. The two stood there for a time, not noticing how the rain was letting up. Luffy's eyes had never been so intense, and Nami's eyes in turn were burning with a thousand different emotions that he couldn't even begin to name.

Luffy let go of the ropes just as Nami stepped forward, determination in every line of her face. Luffy wasn't sure what he was about to do, but he found he was strangely eager for it to happen. There was only an inch's difference in their heights, so Nami barely had to tilt her head to give him a solid, lingering peck on the lips.

Luffy's eyes widened and his breath flared, filling his nose with the scent of Nami: oranges and old paper. Her lips were soft, and warm, and made his insides feel funny. A very good kind of funny. He wanted more.

She pulled back, looked him straight in the eye, and said "We'll talk later." The she walked away, leaving behind a bewildered captain, an unconscious girl, and a smirking ghost.

* * *

The Straw-Hats were steadily dragging the recumbent Ryuuji up the incredibly steep slope of the island to the building at the top, the natural suspect for a Dragon's Nest. Leum had disappeared almost as soon as they'd weighed anchor. Usopp was grumbling about how Nami and Apis didn't have to do any work. Sanji told him to shut up and then exclaimed how he would gladly perform this labor of love for Nami. Luffy, oddly silent the entire time, 'blinked' at Sanji without seeming to think about it. The cook shut up, but stared at his captain in confusion. Zoro and Gin just pushed.

Nami sighed, trying to ignore the rollercoaster her emotions were currently riding. She'd kissed Luffy on a whim, fueled by long-repressed desire and adrenaline. It wasn't that she regretted the kiss; she didn't. It was most definitely worth it. But she now owed Luffy an explanation, which could only be answered with a confession, and she wasn't sure how to do that. Sanji made it look so easy, but that wasn't the same. She had to say something that let Luffy know what she felt was _real_, that she meant it wholeheartedly, and that she would _really_ like it if he returned the same.

Apis just held her head, complaining about a headache.

Eventually, the crew reached the apex of the island, but not before investigating the ruins of a town that seemed to really love Sennenryu. The door of the mausoleum-esque building was emblazoned with a geometric rendering of a Sennenryu. A small indent was in the seemingly impassable door, shaped exactly like the claw handing around Apis's neck.

"I can do this," she whispered to herself, before walking forward, fully determined to open the door and lead the way to the Dragon's Nest and Ryuuji's salvation.

"I wouldn't bother," Leum said, walking out the door and scaring ten years out of Apis. "There's nothing but a big stairway, leading to a place we will soon be reaching anyway."

Gin didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?" he asked, the mildest bit of stubborn distrust coloring his tone, as he took a step towards the albino.

The earth seemed to vibrate, before collapsing beneath their feet. Everyone screamed falling down, except, of course, for Leum. When the dust of their landing finally dissipated, even Ryuuji was awake. The crew one and all glared at Leum, who seemed to mock them with his controlled descent in ectoplasmic form.

"**WHY**… didn't you warn us?" Nami was just the teensiest bit unstable at the moment, and the demon hanging in her shadow seemed particularly bloodthirsty this time.

The capacity of transforming oneself into their own ghost must result in the death of all self-preservation instincts. Leum showed no signs of fear as he answered. "Simple, my dear, miserly Nami. In the time it would have taken to warn you of this chamber's existence and how fragile the mortar was, you would already have fallen. I decided to save my breath and settle for a mildly ominous statement. They are much more fun when you're a spirit."

Nami hung her head, reminded herself that she had voted _for_ Leum joining the crew, and turned her attention to her surroundings, her fellow Straw-Hats following her example.

It was impressive. You could fit a few good-sized buildings into the dome they found themselves in. Apart from some holes due to the recent collapse of the ceiling, the mural that covered the entirety of the domed ceiling was as clear and bright as the day it had first been painted. It was just a load of pretty pictures to Apis and most of the males, but both Leum and Nami could recognize the clear message in the paintings.

"So, are we getting Nami's logic or Leum's fact this time? You two should work out turns if this keeps up," Gin said, stretching out his back. It was an honest question. Both were equally reliable.

"Nami's explaining," Luffy and Sanji said in perfect sync. The two paused before looking at each other. The characteristic easy-going-ness was absent from Luffy's eye as the two males assessed one another, as two predators meet each other in the wild.

Common sense and resignation to inevitability convinced Sanji to back off first, covering both eyes with his hair while lighting a cig. He expertly blew a heart from smoke in Nami's direction, before dispersing it with his hand.

Message received, Luffy relaxed his 'hackles' and turned to face Nami, who for all her skill in reading people seemed unaware of the exchange.

Zoro, Gin, and Usopp, however, saw it loud and clear. All three immediately resolved that in the very near future, there would be an official list of rules regarding 'private time' on board the ship. It would most likely be ignored, but it was the principle of the thing.

Nami launched into her lecture as easily as breathing. "This mural obviously depicts the Lost Civilization that Apis's ancestors were a part of. We are there, on the island with the dome on top." She indicated the picture in question, which showed an island with devout people dressed like Apis bowing to passing Sennenryu. "However, the Sennenryu are flying away from here… to that island." Nami shifted her finger to point at an island that looked like a battleship.

Leum didn't bother to say "I told you so", and no one felt the need to mention it.

Sogeking made a surprise appearance. "Yosh! Now we know our _true_ destination! We must brave that great hill once more to reach the ship, and reach the actual Dragon's Nest back on Gunkan Island! Apis must have missed someplace when she searched!"

Apis couldn't handle the thought of being wrong, and ran to Ryuuji. "Ryuuji! Please remember! This place _has_ to be the Dragon's Nest! Please, look around and tell us!"

The dragon raised its head, looking at the ceiling with slightly more interest than its usual catatonic state. It's eyes widened, and Apis gasped. She turned to face them, defeat in every line of her face. "Ryuuji remembered. The Dragon's Nest really is on Gunkan. I must have missed it…"

"Don't sweat it, Apis-chan," Sanji said automatically. "It wasn't that big a deal, coming out here. Now we can go back and take a closer look for the Dragon's Nest. Ryuuji will be better in no time, promise." His grin was enough to mollify her.

The first road block naturally appeared right then and there.

"My thanks for revealing the location of the island. However, I'll be taking those Ryuukotsu you have right there." The crew looked up at the hole where they'd fallen through. The blatantly homosexual mercenary was back.

"Didn't this guy learn anything the last time?" Zoro asked, annoyed. The guy's boasting about his winds being comparable to the Meitou had lit a fire under his swordsman's pride.

"Still, this could be a problem," Usopp muttered, internally weeping tears at his slip in control. He was now officially doomed to have Luffy as a shrink. Poor, unfortunate soul. "Those winds of his can hit all of us, and we don't have a lot of room to move."

Luffy decided to fix that problem.

Screaming like a caveman, shimmering with Haki, Luffy charged forward with all his strength to hit… the wall. The ten-story, rock hard, thicker than thick… wall. All hail the wall.

Luffy fell down on his ass, clutching his hat, staring with bewilderment at the wall. "That was weird. I thought for sure I could break it."

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi," his crew muttered, even the most experienced members short-circuiting at this display of stupidity.

Then… the wall right next to where Luffy hit collapsed.

"Result alright, result alright," Luffy proclaimed.

"A way out," Leum said, his standard serene attitude replaced with shock.

"We should be used to this by now, we really should," Sanji muttered, sucking his cigarette down to the filter.

Usopp and Gin both had identical gaping jaws. The latter was reminded again just who had beaten Don Krieg. The former was again trying and failing to reconcile that monstrous strength with that tiny frame. Apis and Ryuuji had both momentarily blanked out.

Nami… hid a nosebleed. 'Why' should be obvious.

Erik the Whirlwind recovered from his surprise, jumped down and was just about to unleash a wind scythe when he suddenly had to dodge a sword slash. Zoro was facing him, already in full Santouryu form. "Everyone, get going! I'll deal with this guy."

Snapping back to reality, the crew piled onto Ryuuji's cart while Luffy and Sanji worked to propel it towards the new exit.

Erik frowned upon seeing his goal begin to disappear. He turned to face his opponent. "I don't know what trick you used earlier, but it won't help you now! Kama Kama no Kamaitachi (Sickle Whirlwind)!" So saying, Erik slashed his fingers, blasting a sickle of wind towards Zoro.

The first mate rolled his eyes before imbuing his katana with Haki. Feeling the need to be politically correct, Zoro held his swords in a guard position and growled "Color of Armaments: Tate (Shield)."

The blade of air bounced right off of an invisible barrier about an inch in front of Zoro's blades. At Erik's panicked expression, Zoro grinned sadistically. "Devil's Fruits don't work on Straw-Hats. You're going to die now."

Zoro dashed forward, but Erik expertly dodged. If there was one thing a mercenary could do, it was save his own skin. "Our fight will continue later!" he screamed, before running after the cart.

Said cart having cleared the room… to land on a giant root. Hundreds of feet off the ground.

"I-it's amazing how we always m-managed to stay safe," Usopp cried, hanging onto Ryuuji for dear life.

"YOU CALL THIS SAFE?" Nami yelled, crouched down behind Ryuuji where the wind wasn't quite as terrifying.

The cart eventually made its way back to solid ground, where it began to pick up even more speed.

"I'm the fastest thing alive right now!" Gin screamed hysterically, his feet kept off the ground by sheer velocity. Like Apis, his only tether to the cart was a tight grip on Ryuuji's hair.

"Is that supposed to impress somebody?" Sanji asked testily, his iron-strong legs braced against the wind.

Leum floated along beside them, managing to look as if he flew at supersonic speeds every day. "I feel the need to point out that we're moving so fast that your guardians are unable to keep up, so don't expect any divine intervention of accidents until we slow down."

"**SHUT UP!**" every Straw-Hat besides the captain screamed, the force of their collective Haki blasting Leum into the far distance, complete with Twinkling Star™.

"This is fast," Luffy said, grinning like a loon and utterly unaware of any danger.

"Guys! What about Zoro? That man back there had the Devil's Fruit! There's no way he can win!" Apis yelled.

"Don't worry about it," they all said, their previous fear suddenly absent. Apis could only cock her head and sigh… before freaking out again.

"Luffy! There's a building ahead!"

Luffy crouched and put a hand on the cart. "No problem! **Majestic Comet!**" In an instant, the entirety of the cart was encased in Haki, which grated against the rushing air and gave the actual appearance of a comet's tail behind them. They barreled through the building as if it weren't even there. It collapsed behind them.

Behind them, Erik was playing every dirty trick in the book to keep his distance from Zoro. Sneak attacks, slashed tree branches, dust in the eye, you name it. Alas, it couldn't continue.

Zoro landed right in front of Erik, who seemed very panicky. A demonic gleam in his eye, Zoro stalked towards his prey.

"Luffy, there's another ledge ahead," Apis moaned, sounding hopeless.

"Can't we just charge through like before?" the rubber boy asked, honestly confused.

"We can't! This is the same wall we climbed on the way up! If we go over the edge, there's no way we'll survive!" Nami's whole life was flashing before her eyes. She found her biggest regret to be that she had never had that talk with Luffy. She would die unrequited. She hung her head.

"Can't Leum fly us?" Luffy asked, a mild bit of fear now present in his expression. His nakama, one in particular, was in trouble.

"I could no more make you all ghosts than Smoker could make you guys smoke. My powers apply only to myself." Leum had already caught up with them, unconcerned as always.

Just as they reached the edge, one of the front wheels collapsed. The cart took an abrupt ninety-degree turn left, only to hit the wall of the zigzag ramp shortly afterwards. Bouncing back, the sped backwards before the process was repeated. In a minute, they had reached the bottom, at a much more reasonable speed.

"I can't believe… we made it," Gin panted, looking like he'd aged ten years. It wasn't that big a difference from his normal looks honestly.

"It's not over yet." Leum's tone was perfectly conversational.

Before the crew could question him, the cart hit a protruding rock near the shore. The cart stopped, but the Straw-Hats held true to inertia, landing in the surf.

Luffy hopped off. "Well, that was interesting. Everyone, set sail!"

"I can't take this anymore," Nami whined, knee-deep in the waves.

"Shit head," Sanji growled, his eyes shaded.

"When Zoro kills him, I'm helping," Usopp gurgled, given that his head was stuck underwater while his feet hung in the air.

Zoro knocked aside another desperate slash of cutting wind. This was pathetic. The guy was utterly defenseless without his power. Zoro was just about to cut out the kiddy games and kill the guy when he felt a hand grab his collar.

"Oh, Zooorrroooo!" Luffy yelled, his childish yell sounding very ominous.

"Luffy, I'm beginning to see a pattern here," Zoro muttered, breaking out in a cold sweat. Before Erik could do more than glare incredulously, Zoro was yanked back to the Going Merry via stretched out arm.

Once the dust cleared, Luffy looked over his first mate. "You okay, Zoro?"

An invisible force lashed out, launching the unsuspecting Luffy into the kitchen, where a very satisfying crash resounded.

"I've been waiting to do that since the Baratie," Zoro muttered, getting up and sheathing his katana. The entire crew, even Leum, nodded in complete, emphatic understanding.

The Going Merry made its way back to Gunkan Island, the return trip much less traumatizing than the first, with barely a thunderclap from the dark curtain above them. Once they breached the 'veil', as Leum termed it (scaring the Marines to death in the process), they made swift progress back to Apis's hometown.

The girl was still rather despondent at the thought of having missed the Dragon's Nest. Nami noticed and decided to cheer her up.

"Relax, Apis. Leum will take a closer look this time, and we'll find the Dragon's Nest easy. Ryuuji will be better in no time!" Apis grinned up at the navigator, sorrow forgotten.

Sanji's brow furrowed, his eyes focused on the distance. "Nami-swan… I'm not sure it's going to be that simple."

Everyone turned to face the sea, and gasped.

A truly massive ship, easily five times the size of the Going Merry, was in the water ahead. Even as they watched, a countless number of ships appeared from behind the flagship like the opening of a fan. Within moments, the Going Merry was surrounded on all sides. Iron chains the width of a man's arm hung between each ship, capturing the Straw-Hat crew in an inescapable net as the flagship hung beyond the edge like a noble regarding a caged slave.

"That's just not fair," said Gin, the former first mate of a fifty-ship fleet.

"How do they even _have_ that many?" Usopp screamed, fully freaking out.

"Hmm, this might prove interesting," Leum commented, calmly sipping a steaming cup of tea.

"Where did you even get that?" Sanji muttered, staring incredulously at the magically appearing tea.

"Leum, if you aren't drinking that to read the leaves at the bottom, I will end you. Are we clear?" Nami's expression was a distinct combination horror and fury.

"As the air," Leum replied.

Apis stayed silent, staring with dread at the '8' painted on the mast of the flagship.

"This is nothing, everybody. Our only goal is getting Ryuuji to the Nest so he can get better. As long as we do that, we win." Luffy and Not-Luffy were once more cooperating, transforming the captain into a cold, fearless warrior. Apis gaped, and the rest of the crew grew solemn.

"What can we even do? We're trapped!" Apis stared at the crew, confused as to how they were all so suddenly unafraid.

"We hop over, kick them off their ships, cut the chains, and go through the break. That's the only way," Usopp said, mouth tight. "Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Gin. You guys are our best fighters. You go."

"Not a bad idea," Zoro said, a twinge of anticipation quickening his blood.

Nami dashed to the tiller, her sudden energy breaking the still atmosphere. "We have to survive first! I'll try to get us close, but you guys have to keep an eye out for cannonballs! They're about to start firing!"

Right on cue, every ship in the net started firing on the Going Merry. The little ship started demonstrating just why a caravel was considered the most maneuverable ship there was. The Straw-Hats seemed to dance through the explosions as shots missed the ship to explode in the water.

"Apis, it isn't safe. Get below decks," Sanji said, trying to usher the passenger away.

The girl broke away. "I can't leave Ryuuji like this!" So saying, she dashed to the back of the boat and hopped nimbly to the makeshift raft, huddling close to Ryuuji's head.

The crew had no time to get her back, as the fire continued to get more concentrated as they neared the Marines.

"Luffy! Cannonball!" Nami screamed, sensing the presence of the attack.

"I see it!" he shouted back, already in place. "Gomu Gomu no Fuusen (Rubber Balloon)!" The cannonball impacted the suddenly much rounder Luffy, bouncing right back to where it came from.

The display of unnatural abilities seemed to anger the giant ship (really, three main masts was a little much). A siren started to whine as the single biggest cannon anyone had ever seen started to aim at the Going Merry. All the other ships stopped firing as what had to be the biggest overcompensation in the Marines' fleet prepared to blast the Straw-Hats to pieces.

Nami had come out on deck once the fire stopped. She bent over the railing to yell at her male nakama. "Guys, you have to think of a way to stop that!"

"Can I bounce it back?" Luffy asked it as a serious question, his face hard. He was staring at the cannon as if daring it to fire.

"Neither of you have anything to worry about," Leum said, regarding the dregs at the bottom of his teacup with the intensity Nami would regard a twenty-carat diamond. "Sogeking has it covered."

"Reap the consequences of your foolishness, ignoble Marines! Face the punishment of daring to face against the holy king of all marksmen, the great Sogeking!" With that friendly proclamation, Usopp's inner Napoleon fired one of the Going Merry's cannons. The ball flew through the air to land dead center inside the giant cannon. The explosion of smoke let them know that it had hit.

"Did I do that?" Usopp asked, a bit disoriented.

"It was probably a lucky shot," Zoro said.

"Yeah, luck," Sanji repeated.

"It wasn't that big a deal," Gin shrugged.

Apis stared in shock at the crew from her perch within Ryuuji's wings. _'How can they act like this is nothing?'_ she asked herself, dumbstruck.

Nami took charge of the situation. "This is the perfect time for the plan. Go over while they're distracted and do your thing. From there, we can get back to Gunkan and work from there." The redhead turned to face Leum. "Any insights we should know about?"

Leum faced her, his eyes opaque. As opposed to his usual nonchalance, he seemed very agitated. He spoke to her as if he were only half there. "Let the villain do as he pleases. The Elder shall resolve all. His sacrifice will not be in vain. And the skies shall sing once more." He shook his head and turned his eyes back to the tealeaves. "Things will be fine, Nami. Just don't panic, and we'll all walk away smiling."

Nami felt a twinge of worry at the albino's odd behavior, but she sighed and decided to just let him be.

Luffy was regarding Ryuuji, his face unreadable. "We'll get you there. Protect Apis," he said finally, before turning to face the ship just to the right of the flagship. He glanced to make sure the boarding party was ready before throwing his arm back. "Gomu Gomu no Hashiwatashi (Rubber Crossing Bridge)," he said, throwing his arm forward to catch the ship. As Zoro, Sanji, and Gin ran across his arm, he turned to face Ryuuji once more. Something was exchanged before Luffy himself flew off towards the ship.

At the other end, the heavy-hitters were regarding the chains. "Solid iron," Zoro assessed, gripping one of his katana.

"Sure you can cut that?" Sanji asked, already knowing the answer.

"I can cut anything," the swordsman said.

Gin whistled, his eyes on the flagship. "Damn, how any man could even get that fat is beyond me."

He was right. Sitting on a palanquin and glaring with beady eyes was the fattest person on the planet. His cheeks were the size of soccer balls, there was more blubber in his stomach than the average whale's, and his arms and legs looked like they had been stuck on to the massive torso the same way a snowman has twigs stuck in for arms. As if to reassure that the ball of lard was indeed a Marine, the seagull of the Marines was tattooed on his belly.

"All hands kill them! Don't let them interfere or I'll have you all exiled!" His voice was quite nasal and heavy, and there was obvious spittle flying from his mouth.

Immediately, every Marine on the ship the Straw-Hats were invading was on deck, swords out.

"I like taking the right half," Luffy said, clenching his hands into fists.

"Works for me," Sanji said, bending his knees slightly.

"What does that leave me, exactly?" Gin asked, his tonfa now in his hands.

Two seconds later, the Straw-Hat Pirates were knocking down the Marines like they were made of paper. Zoro, deciding to challenge himself, got into his stance and focused without drawing on his Haki. A few seconds later, he sliced right through the chain in a single movement. Grinning, he moved on to the other three.

"Kill them! Don't let them cut the chains!" the fat man screamed. With a cry of "For Commodore Nelson!", the Marines on the other boats started to run over the chains to get to the crew and fight. They went down. Hard.

"Gomu Gomu no Pachinko!" Luffy screamed, taking his feet off the ground and propelling the hundred-some Marines trapped in the cage of his arms off the ship.

Sanji ran right through the Marines, his legs a whirlwind of kicks that knocked every man hit out cold.

Gin spun his right tonfa extra hard and threw it at a group of Marines. After going through them like a blunt buzz saw, the thing returned to his hand like a boomerang. "God, I love this job!" the man yelled, going nuts with his distinctive weapons.

In this time Zoro had cut through two more of the four chains. Just as he was about to reach the last, however, the water around the Going Merry seemed to explode.

Apis peeked out from behind Ryuuji, to find herself face to face with Erik.

"Ah! It's the gay guy! The one who ate the okama fruit!" she screamed and pointed.

"Not okama, Kama Kama," the mercenary snarled. "And I'll be taking this Sennenryu of yours."

"Oi, you! Leave Ryuuji alone! There's no way we'll let you have him," Nami screamed. She'd anticipated the blast and had recovered faster than Usopp, who was right behind her. Leum appeared right next to her, looking, of all things, impatient.

Usopp was covertly aiming his slingshot at the man when Leum grabbed his hand. At the marksman's incredulous glance, the albino simply shook his head.

Erik saw the whole exchange and seemed to become even more self-confidant. "You're companion is wise. That last Kamaitachi missed on purpose. Interfere in any way, and I will shred this ship to pieces."

'_As if you could,'_ Nami thought to herself, keeping silent. Though every cell in her body screamed to blast this creep into the ocean, her rational mind was focused on Leum's mysterious warning from earlier. Swallowing her voice, she forced herself to say put.

"What's going on?" Luffy asked, genuine worry coloring his voice.

"It would seem that the guy is holding Apis and the ship hostage to get Ryuuji," Gin commented, his eyes focused on the ship.

Growling, Luffy cocked his fist, which Zoro caught. "Baka, you can't punch him. He'll just destroy the ship and kill everyone."

Luffy nodded… before putting his foot on the railing. "So I'll kick it."

"Why am I letting this moron have Nami-swan again?" Sanji muttered, watching as Zoro slapped Luffy upside the head.

"Because if you get in his way you'll wind up in a coma? Or maybe because she's actually attracted to him?" Gin offered, not taking his eyes off the ship he was supposed to guard.

Seeing that Erik was now in possession of Ryuuji, the fat Commodore spoke up. "Ah, Erik, you've completed your mission! Now bring that Sennenryu over here!"

The mercenary looked with disgust at his employer. "No, I think I'll keep it for myself."

The man's eyes bulged, and the cliché of a mustache he had went rigid in surprise. "What? But I gave you lots of money to bring me the Ryuukotsu!"

"You did indeed give me a little pocket change. But I was never in this for you. All I needed from you was the Marine's information network. Now that I have the prize, I'll keep the Ryuukotsu for myself. I'll be invincible." Erik grinned quite smugly at that last part.

Nelson ground his teeth so hard even Luffy heard it, before flying into a rage proportionate to his size. "ALL HANDS FIRE ON THE TRAITOR! I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE SENNENRYU ANYMORE! I CAN STILL GET ITS RYUUKOTSU EVEN IF THEY'RE SHATTERED! FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!"

"**Leave Ryuuji alone!**" Luffy screamed as he punched the next two ships in the line into rubble. His nakama were in turn destroying the cannons of nearby ships.

Apis screamed as the explosions started, before turning to face Erik. "Just leave Ryuuji alone! He never did anything to you! Leave him be!" She flew at the man, kicking and screaming, only to be caught around the neck.

"You be silent, little brat, or I'll slice you up," the man growled, before screaming as Apis bit down hard on the hand he'd used to grip her jaw. He threw her violently to the floor of the rowboat he was on, unaware of what it would bring.

Leum was leaning hard over the railing, his eyes glued to the distant raft. "Here it come," he whispered in almost worshipful awe, alerting Nami and Usopp to something happening.

Erik grumbled about teeth marks, not noticing as he was steadily becoming covered in shadow. He looked up only when the three Marines he'd commandeered screamed and jumped ship. Confused, he turned around, only to have a heart attack.

Ryuuji was standing up. He looked a lot like some overgrown bird, with the green plumage of his body darkening to purple beneath his wings and clearing to white around his belly. His jaws suddenly looked much more menacing, and he was glaring at Erik with the closest thing to anger that his facial muscles could produce. With a single swipe of his wings, he threw Erik, screaming, into the ocean.

Then he threw his head back and roared.

It was a terrible sound, an unearthly sound. It echoed and rumbled in unusual ways, sounding like metal being torn to pieces from the bottom of a long, damp pipe. And it was _loud_.

"Make him stop!" the Commodore cried, sounding like a small child.

"My ears!" Usopp yelled, as Nami whimpered next to him. Leum made no such movement, a look of rapture on his face.

"Ryuuji roared out," Luffy said simply, two fingers stuck in his ears.

At last the roar ended, and Ryuuji ducked his head to regard the awakening Apis.

The girl looked up at Ryuuji in wonder, before jumping up and hugging his neck. "Ryuuji! You're moving again! I'm so happy!" She laughed joyously, filling the air with the sound of a child's happiness. She pulled back to look Ryuuji in the eye, only to cock her head before her face seemed to explode with glee. "Ryuuji! You mean it?"

In response, Ryuuji began to flap his wings. As he steadily gained altitude, Apis yelling encouragement, he made for a truly amazing sight.

"The past is not so dead as we pretend it to be," Leum said, his face almost as happy as Apis's. Nami made no comment, respecting Leum's joy and letting him have his moment. Usopp just stared in awe.

Nelson's oily voice pierced the air. "Fire, fire now! Do not let it escape! What are you waiting for, fire!" With that, cannonballs began to fly at Ryuuji, where more than a few impacted.

Apis's expression transformed to one of horror. "Ryuuji, fly away! Escape!" The dragon paid no attention to her, turning to face Nelson's flagship. He began to fly forward, seemingly unaware of the explosions that ravaged his body as he flew.

Nelson squealed in terror, before yelling at his own crew to start firing. Before they could manage, a crushing pressure encompassed his ship as Luffy roared in wordless rage. Surprisingly, no one passed out.

Luffy wanted to break something. No, he wanted to kill something. He was consumed with rage as he watched helplessly as Ryuuji got battered out of the sky. Why couldn't he do anything? Because of the message Ryuuji was sending right at him. He never got more than impressions from the dragon, never real words, but they were clear all the same to the boy captain. And the message Ryuuji was sending as he made his suicidal path was clear: Keep. Out.

He went surprisingly far, but eventually Ryuuji crashed into the water. As Nelson roared in triumph and Apis cried in sadness, Luffy launched himself at the dying dragon. He landed right on his broad back, and went straight to the dragon's head to look him in the eye.

Luffy didn't bother questioning. He simply stared deep into the eyes of the creature that had seen a millennium come and go. Information seemed to flow telepathically between them. After a minute, Luffy sighed and nodded his head. "I understand, Ryuuji. I'll tell her what happened." Seeing he was understood, Ryuuji raised his head and roared one last time.

Apis kept crying as Usopp slowly dragged her back onto the ship. She only quieted when Leum tapped her on the forehead. She looked up into that death-pale face, which had a perverse joy in it, given the situation. Just as the girl was about to scream at him for daring to be happy, he silenced her with three simple words: "What's he saying?"

The girl paused, before a pensive look filled his face. "Return," she said, her voice toneless. "Return, my brothers, to the land of death and rebirth." She paused, before her head shot up to the sky. "There's no way," she whispered, shocked.

Nelson was about to send out ships to collect the Ryuukotsu when an odd sound caught his ear. "Huh?" he said intelligently, before looking up and breaking out into the widest, most hideous smile on the face of the planet.

Sennenryu. Hundreds of Sennenryu were flying in formation right above their heads, almost blocking the sky with their wings. All of them centered around the spot where Ryuuji had finally collapsed and started to sink.

"This is beautiful! All the Ryuukotsu I could want! Adjust the cannons! Shoot them out of the sky!" the evil Marine commanded, his eyes glazed as he thought of a life of eternal youth.

His little fantasy was broken as Not-Luffy took the stage fully for the first time the Straw-Hat crew had ever seen.

"**HOW DARE YOU TREAT THEM LIKE THAT? THEY'RE FLESH AND BLOOD, NOT BONES FOR YOU TO HARVEST!**" A virtual explosion of power spread out over the ocean, with Straw Hat Luffy at its epicenter. Waves appeared out of nowhere as winds blew and the air seemed to drop twenty degrees. Every living person there, Straw-Hat or Marine, was suddenly choking on the feeling of floating weightless in a sea of nothing as some giant, incomprehensible being of limitless power scrutinized them.

Luffy was transformed. Every muscle was taut as a bowstring, yet he remained completely still. His face was something Death would have nightmares about. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and filled with a bottomless rage. There was no mercy or caution or even sanity in those eyes. The world shook under the weight of Luffy's power, and he let it.

The Sennenryu seemed to freeze in midflight, before attacking every ship in Nelson's fleet as if possessed. Men could not even put up a fight as they were bitten in half or thrown into the suddenly tumultuous sea. Luffy himself simply waved a hand as if swatting a fly. The next moment, Nelson's flagship flew apart into a million pieces as if swiped by the fist of God. Nelson Royale, the most selfish man in East Blue, was crushed in an instant beneath the wreckage of his own ship.

Luffy didn't stop there. Maintaining just enough command of his destructive half to avoid his nakama, the Boy with Haki swept his arm in a line, gesturing at all of Nelson's fleet. Every ship but one collapsed just as violently, the Sennenryu flying through the ruins like demented flying monkeys.

Zoro, Sanji, and Gin all gaped, frozen with shock and even fear as they watched their captain demolish a fleet in seconds.

Nami knelt on the deck of the Going Merry, her arms held protectively around the whimpering Apis. She felt no fear as she stared at the blurred from of the man she loved. Her heart cried with sympathy and worry as she felt Luffy's pain at losing a nakama, however brief their time together, in every act of destruction. _'Luffy…'_

Only when every man under Nelson Royale's command was claimed by the sea did Not-Luffy disappear. It was as sudden as flipping a switch, and all the more jarring for it. The ocean calmed, the sun seemed to brighten, and the flock of Sennenryu began to fly in a spiral, at a much more sedate pace, around the point where Ryuuji was now disappearing into the water.

Silent, Luffy reached out both of his arms; one to the lone Marine ship, the other to the Going Merry. He waited as his subdued nakama crossed back to their ship before letting himself be pulled over in kind.

The deck of the Going Merry was silent as the grave. Luffy couldn't bring himself to face his crewmates. All he could think about was how close they had come to destruction, a destruction by his own hand. He could barely remember what had just happened. There had been rage, and sorrow, and regret, and then the heartless words of Nelson Royale. From there, it was all a blur.

Surprisingly, Leum was the first to speak. "If you weren't absurdly powerful, captain, I wouldn't be here in the first place. A King is always a different man at war than at home. What you did, you did. Let's move on."

Luffy's words were dead, with a touch of the desperate. "How? How could I possibly look you all in the eye after what I did? I didn't even _touch_ them, and they're gone. All those men, just in the wrong place, working for the wrong man… they're all gone." Tears pooled in Luffy's eyes, hidden by the brim of his hat, but every member of his crew heard them in his voice.

Luffy wallowed a few seconds longer, before soft arms enveloped him as warmth, safety, and acceptance washed over him like the tide. It took him a solid minute to realize that Nami was hugging him.

"The same way I can look at all of you after betraying you for Arlong. The same way Sanji and Usopp left behind all their friends. The same way Zoro can train with that scar on his chest or Gin can look after the ship. We're nakama, Luffy. Never forget that." Hidden from the crew, Nami's own tears leaked onto Luffy's vest.

Luffy slowly looked up, unconsciously cradling Nami's slender form to his. Zoro looked him straight in the eye before nodding, as Sanji smiled and Usopp gave a (shaky) thumbs-up. Gin chuckled to himself and patted the ship's planks, while Leum wordlessly shrugged and turned to face the sea.

Luffy sighed and buried his face in Nami's hair, crying with happiness now as he realized that, for all his power to kill and destroy, he was still accepted by his nakama.

Another person, as always, broke the moment.

"Who cares?" Apis said, her shoulders slumped and her face hopeless. Blood ran down from her lip as she clenched her teeth in frustrated despair. "Ryuuji's dead. He never saw the Dragon's Nest. We all failed."

Luffy slowly drew away from Nami, who seemed to let him go reluctantly. The Straw-Hat captain walked to Apis, before putting his hand on her shoulder. "We didn't fail. Ryuuji knew what he was doing. He'd already reached the Dragon's Nest."

As he spoke, the sea seemed to shake once more. This time, it was for reasons geological rather than spiritual. The water changed color from blue to green as land that had lain hidden for a thousand years beneath the sea rushed up to meet the sunlight. Within a few minutes, Gunkan Island tripled in size as wide field of stone, covered in the growth of the sea and odd stone structures, rose up. The Dragon's Nest had been found.

The Straw-Hats belatedly weighed anchor in the small pond they happened to find themselves in, before hopping down to the new land that surrounded them.

"This is the place the Sennenryu come to die," Luffy said, his voice solemn, but relaxed.

"Like the Elephant's Graveyard," Nami mused. "The name 'Sennenryu' has nothing to do with their lifespans. It's referring to how often they migrate. And these figures," she mused, looking at the distinctly dragon-esque formations around them. "These must be the skeletons of the dragons who died. They calcified at the bottom of the ocean."

"They sure seem to like it here," Sanji remarked, noting how all the Sennenryu were preening in the sunlight and eagerly looking around the new area.

Apis caught sight of something, and ran to it with all the speed she had. She hit water and was forced to stop, where she could do nothing but stare at Ryuuji's corpse, floating forlornly in the middle of a pond.

"Ryuuji, wake up. Please, wake up. We're at the Dragon's Nest. You were supposed to get better." Apis got more and more worked up as she spoke, until she was shouting. "You told me that when you found the Dragon's Nest, everything would be alright! But you lied! You lied, you lied, you lied!" She hung her head, helpless to stop her tears.

Luffy stepped forward. "Ryuuji didn't lie. He had to get to the Dragon's Nest. It's not just the place the Sennenryu die." A small, cracking sound pierced the air. The crew turned to see one of the odd, oblong stones littering the ground crack open, to reveal a baby Sennenryu. "It's where they go to be reborn."

Apis stared in wonder at the baby Sennenryu, which had yellow and lavender in its coat rather than dark green and purple. As others of its kind surrounded it, it seemed to squeak something at Apis. She closed her eyes, and threw her head back, wailing for the world to hear. It was a release of emotion, but not sadness.

The crew let her have her moment, witness to the rebirth of Ryuuji.

As they walked away, Usopp spoke up. "So, all those legends about the Ryuukotsu…"

"A dream within a dream," Nami said authoritatively.

"Apis's ancestors watched as the bones of the Sennenryu immortalized, and spread the tale of how dragons never die, how the elixir of eternity rested in their bones. Time distorted it into the legend of today," Leum added, an oddly satisfied look on his face as he walked through a place of ancient history.

"Halt!" a very familiar voice shouted.

The crew swept around to see Erik, glaring at them with hatred. "I realize that we've had our differences, but we need not fight. I only ever wanted the Ryuukotsu. You can even share in my prize."

Nami stepped forward. "But all these bones have calcified. If they even had an elixir in the first place, it's long dried away."

"Ah, but you fail to notice all these living Ryuukotsu all around you." Erik swept a hand to regard the whole of the Nest. It was clear that he didn't even see the dragon, only the promise of immortality. "You," he said, addressing Luffy directly. "There is no man that does not fear Death. Help me, and you can live forever."

"Not interested," Luffy said immediately.

Erik stumbled, before yelling in sudden anger. "Liar! For those of us who've eaten the Devil's Fruits, we already have one foot in the grave. There is no way you aren't afraid to die!"

"Not interested," Luffy repeated, clenching his fists once more.

Zoro shook his head. "This isn't your normal kind of guy. As long as he accomplishes what he's set out to do, he'll die with a smile on his face."

Erik's face twisted in rage. "Then die, if you're so eager! Kama Kama no Kamaitachi!" In denial at his own powerlessness, the man launched another blade of wind at the crew.

Luffy was about to rush forward, when an arm barred his path. The captain turned to regard Leum.

In that brief second, Luffy got a good look at Leum's face. For the first time since he'd met him, Leum looked mad. No, he looked _furious_.

"Spirit Cyclone!" He yelled, his form shifting into the blue-white quasi-substance of ectoplasm. He started spinning like a top, faster than any human being could naturally move. He carried enough mass to stir the air, and suddenly there was a miny tornado blocking the wind blade's path. It was dissipated by its stronger cousin, at which point Leum stopped on a penny.

The boy glared at Erik, his eyes almost glowing red from within his ghostly face. "You would disregard the past. You would treat the avatars of a lost age as tools for your own gain. You would spit on antiquity, piss on what is sacred, destroy that which is irreplaceable." He flung his arms wide, his amulet winking in the sun with a macabre joy.

"You think you scare me?" Erik yelled, quite worked up. He sliced at the air again. This time, Leum let the gift of his crew do the talking for him. The blade vanished as it entered a cloud of Haki.

"Feel the weight of ages, and then you will know fear," the boy who was more spirit than flesh whispered. "Allow me to open your eyes. KON KON NO POSSESSION!" With that cry, Leum flew right at Erik. He went through Erik's body, and did not reappear.

The man jerked, before looking around in confusion. The Straw-Hats watched anxiously, wondering what their newest nakama would do next.

Erik jumped suddenly, screaming "What was that?" He did this repeatedly over the next minute, getting steadily more panicked. "WHY AM I SEEING THIS?" he shouted, gripping his head so hard he drew blood. It was horrifying, in a way. He fell to his knees, screaming "STOP, STOP, STOP!" He began to shake like he was having a seizure, choking on his own air. He flung himself at the ground and started convulsing. "No more, no more," he pleaded in a very small voice. He turned to face the sun, but didn't seem to see it. He continued to rock around for a few minutes, before he stopped breathing altogether.

Only then did Leum reappear, flowing up out of Erik's corpse as if out of water. He solidified, only to sway the moment he touched the ground.

Luffy was already there, helping his nakama to stand. Leum gave a breathless thanks as he tried to catch back his breath. Usopp, by far the most affected by the display, slowly walked forward with the rest of the crew. "What did you do?"

Leum gasped, before catching his breath. "I got inside him. Then I stopped trying to block out the past and let it in. I let myself hear every ghost within a mile of this place, and the whispers in the air, and the memories hidden in the ground. All of it, I let in. And he heard it too." He shivered. "It's not an experience most can survive. I have a lot of practice, but he didn't. He frightened himself to death. I'm not that much better. The past's a heavy burden."

Gin sighed, before getting under Leum's other shoulder to help him up. "Welcome to the crew. You're officially as stupid as the rest of us."

* * *

The crew were sailing away from Gunkan, their adventure ended and the next one calling. Apis had thanked them for all their hard work and told them how she intended for herself and her children and so on to guard the Dragon's Nest against men like Nelson Royale. As they left, the crew could have sworn that they heard her screaming at her grandfather than she didn't need another lesson.

Luffy was hanging out at the back of the boat, conspicuously not on his special seat. He seemed unaware that the whole of the crew was gravitating towards the front of the boat. He looked up as Nami walked up to him. He nodded at her before looking back out at the sea.

Nami leaned against the rail next to him, gathering her courage. "It's later," she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Luffy nodded, his face unreadable.

Gulping, Nami decided to risk it all. She started speaking before she could chicken out. "I like you Luffy. More than just as a nakama. I have ever since you risked your life to defend my freedom from Arlong, and maybe even before then. I like the way your eyes light up when you see something you think is cool. I like how dedicated you are to your dream and how much you take care of your 'treasure'. I like you for your loyalty, for your courage, I even like you for your carelessness sometimes."

Seeing no response, Nami started to say even more, things she had resolved to never say aloud. "I dream of what it will be like for you to hold me tight and kiss my hair and say how much you care about me. I picture what it'll be like when I bring you back home to Commi Island one day and I introduce you as my boyfriend. Back then, when you went crazy, I didn't even bother being afraid for myself. All I could think about was how much you were hurting, and I wanted to make it go away. I like you for how humble you are, too, for the reasons you keep all that power locked up instead of just throwing it around."

Looking down, unable to face him through the embarrassment, she managed four more words. "I love you, Luffy."

They stayed silent for a full minute. The whole time Nami was beating herself up in her head, calling herself stupid for saying such things, now their friendship was ruined, oh god she'd never be able to face him again by all that's holy she'd go into debt just for him to say _something_…

A warm, strong hand gently clasped Nami's chin. Her face was slowly turned up to face Luffy, who was staring right into her eyes. Then he leaned forward and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her so tight that she was almost crushed into his chest.

Nami gasped, and his long, stretchy tongue invaded her mouth. She felt like she'd been set on fire as his overwhelming warmth, his strong taste of meat and the firmness of his body flooded her mind. Her hands circled around to clutch at his backside possessively, earning a groan of pleasure and drawing their bodies even tighter.

After a solid ten minutes of heavy making-out, Nami drew away, breathless and dizzy. Luffy, in a similar state, drew back his arms to cup Nami's face, making her look right at him, as if she needed any encouragement.

"Someday, you're going to be Pirate Queen. And I love you too, Nami."

Nami's heart soared, and she kissed him again.

* * *

**Yay, the couple is official! For the record, I have just recently finally finalized my determination to be a writer, and the next update**_** will**_** come earlier than six months! Hope you enjoyed this! Ja ne!**

**P.S. Straw Hat = Luffy; Straw-Hat = Crew**


	10. Chapter 10

**I have only three things to say:**

**I refuse to feel shame for the delay.**

**With this chapter, I have officially crossed the 100k mark. Huzzah!**

**The image in Episode 521 when they say the title perfectly captures the dichotomy of Luffy and Not-Luffy. You simply must see it.**

**With that, we move my year-long break.**

* * *

Zoro had seen some fairly odd things in his 19 years. Most of them had shown up in his brief time as Luffy's first mate. He'd seen a man with an ax for a hand, a detachable clown, a crew of men whom clearly had some kind of fur fetish, Fishmen, and Usopp's nose.

This, however, was easily the oddest sight of all.

Usopp was holding up a roll of parchment, mysteriously obtained, that stretched from his shoulders to his knees. It was covered from top to bottom with tiny handwriting, with Usopp reading each line out to Luffy and Nami in a voice that would have bored a monk. Said newly-confirmed couple was occupying a single chair, with the redheaded navigator in her captain's lap and quite literally wrapped up in his arms. She looked incredibly comfy there, a fact that had Sanji clutching his heart and writhing in the corner, muttering things like "too cruel" and "doesn't deserve her" and "my sweet Mellorine!" Zoro, as always tuned him out. Gin was steering, but obviously listening, and Leum was, like Zoro, laying against the bulkhead and watching with amused interest.

Usopp had obviously put a lot of thought into what he termed "Romantic Conduct". It had started with the phrase "To all whom it may apply" and gotten more technical from there. Zoro didn't know whether to be impressed or disturbed. Close as they were as a crew, Zoro had zero interest in knowing the fine details of his captain's sex life. He, like Usopp, agreed that they as a crew should come to an understanding when it came to keeping such things private.

Usopp, however, had taken that to a whole new extreme. The number of restrictions and regulations that he had come up with in the bare six hours since Luffy and Nami had joined lunch holding hands bordered on the ridiculous.

For example:

"Regarding meal times, and any other instances in which the crew is required to spend a significant length of time within the ship's galley, all couples are required to sit at least two chair lengths apart. When circumstances dictates this to be impossible or to a degree of difficulty to arrange deemed unacceptable by a third nakama, the following restrictions apply: First, that the couple shall not make any form of lip-to-lip contact, or any other lip contact to other pursuant body parts; Second…"

The gist of it, from what Zoro could understand (which wasn't much), was that Luffy and Nami could not so much as wink at each other outside a locked, soundproofed room at a prearranged time. Nami was regarding Usopp with something like calm exasperation, while Luffy looked like his brainwaves had flatlined after the first sentence.

Zoro wondered if the marksman actually expected any of his rules to be followed, or if he was venting present and future embarrassment/jealousy in one big burst.

Leum's eyes were flickering around the room with a little too much intensity. Zoro remembered just what he could see and asked "How are our guardians reacting to all this?"

Leum cocked his head, like he was listening to three different people at once and trying to focus on Zoro.

"Well, Sabo, that's Luffy's childhood friend, still can't believe that Luffy managed to score a woman that beautiful. He just keeps looking at them and asking 'How?' Bellemere, Nami's foster mother, is gushing. She's currently bouncing grandchildren's names to herself. Usopp's mother, and for the record that nose simply does not belong on a female, is managing to agree with everything he's saying and lecture Bellemere on the consequences of teenage pregnancy at the same time. Kuina just keeps shaking her head and saying we're all acting like idiots."

That said, Leum returned his attention to the third article of Usopp's legislature and the ghosts observing.

Zoro filed it all away for future use, before letting his mind wander a little. He'd never really felt attracted to anyone, girl or boy. He could recognize beauty, but it had no pull on him. He never really got the point of all the lovey-dovey nonsense. Even Kuina had just been a friendly rival. Should he maybe… Nah. Training was more important.

Eventually, Nami decided enough was enough. She murmured something to Luffy that made him relax his arms. The sight of them winding back to normal like giant rubber bands didn't even merit notice at that point; it was just Luffy.

"Usopp," Nami said, cutting the teen off halfway through a definition of snuggling. "We live on a ship. A small ship. We've all had to adjust to that and what it entails. If I can live with six boys' dirty laundry, you can live with Luffy and I doing couple's things. Now, I need to check our heading."

She walked past the flabbergasted Usopp, snatching "Romantic Conduct" from his hand. By the time she reached the deck outside the galley, it was already floating away as confetti on the breeze.

Gin whistled and turned to look at Luffy. "You are so going to be whipped."

The captain grinned like a loon. "I know."

* * *

Usopp was miffed. Not annoyed, not displeased, not exasperated; he was miffed. And pouting. Which was quite a sight with his fishy lips as he leaned against the railing and watched the sunset.

Nami didn't _have_ to tear up his constitution. She could have crunched it into a ball, instead. But no, she took the hard-earned result of hours of headaches and hand cramps and cast it to the wind. That wasn't fair at all.

Of course it had all been redundant. He'd known that before he wrote it. That wasn't the point! The point was getting through to Luffy that he shouldn't make out with Nami in front of everyone else. Usopp didn't doubt Luffy's self-restraint, not after all he'd seen him do and how he tried to limit the damage. What Usopp doubted was Luffy's sense of modesty. His consistent habit of walking from the shower to the boy's cabin in his birthday suit, and his inability to listen to the others telling him not to, was solid evidence to Usopp's case.

Luffy was just so dense about the little things that Usopp had figured he'd need a rocket-powered battering ram to get the idea that PDA's were discouraged through the boy's thick skull. And Nami hadn't even let him keep a memento of the occasion!

"Forsooth! How dare she destroy the precious property of the great and manly SOGE-?"

Usopp forced the name back down his throat and the thought to the back of his head. That was really getting annoying. Every time his emotions started to run high, those crazy thoughts took over.

It wasn't that Usopp didn't like his alter ego; it just made him uncomfortable. When his brain made that shift, the fear went away. The fear of provoking someone, of drawing the ire of someone strong and mean, the fear that defined the paradox of the proud coward that was Usopp: it went away. What took its place was bottomless confidence, an utter surety that there wasn't anything in the world that could take him down. Sogeking didn't worry about dying, or humiliating himself; all he did was be loud and proud.

And that bothered Usopp. He wasn't reckless. He attempted (rather grandiosely) to frighten his opponents with words and make himself look big. But at the end of the day, he didn't run into the face of danger. He hid in the corner, every once in a while coming out to take a shot, but always to the side. Sogeking didn't stand to the side. He rushed right at the problem, wild and free, in all the ways Usopp was not. And he had even better aim than Usopp.

Whether from the Haki or a mental problem or Sanji's secondhand smoke, Usopp had a switch in his head that transformed him from a sane weakling to a practically suicidal warrior. And there was no way to fix it.

Well, no way that would leave him with what was left of his sanity intact, anyway. Speaking of which…

"Hey, Usopp!" Luffy yelled, appearing out of nowhere at Usopp's side.

"Gah!" Usopp croaked, just barely catching himself from falling over the rail in shock. On reflex, Usopp channeled Haki to his leg and kicked out at his captain… who dodged as if he'd known exactly what Usopp would do. "That's not fair," Usopp groaned, cursing the fact that Luffy could now add "precognitive" to his already hefty list of abilities.

"Heheheh. Sorry, Usopp. I thought you heard me." The teen chuckled a little more, leaning back against the rail as Usopp got his breath back. A second later, the boy's face hardened and the air became still and calm. Usopp suppressed a shiver; it was always disconcerting when his lighthearted captain became serious.

"You know why I'm here," Luffy stated, his eyes shadowed by Hat.

Usopp sighed. "You're here to try and teach me how to be a functional bipolar. There, I said it." Knowing Luffy, the process would probably be headache-inducing, completely ridiculous, and very, very painful. Usopp silently bid farewell to his peace of mind.

"You make it sound like a bad thing." The way Luffy said that was odd. It was not a joke; it was a reproof. "Don't. If you think of the other as a curse or some kind of illness, you'll never be able to work with him."

Usopp stared at Luffy in shock. "You mean you _like_ having to share your brain?"

Luffy sighed. "I didn't say that. I said that you can't demonize the other one. They're there, in your thoughts, and you can't get rid of them. If you try to just lock them away, you really will go insane. I know. I came close."

Usopp bit back the "Nani!" that was straining to escape his lips. Not that he didn't have reason to yell; how would _you_ react if you found out that the person you abandoned your home for was not only mentally disturbed, but actually had a near-miss with psychosis? Still, Usopp forced himself to be silent. It was obvious from Luffy's dead tone that the memory was a painful one. Usopp wouldn't subject his captain to his fear and pity. The little breakdown right after the battle with Nelson had warned the Straw-Hats that their captain was a lot more fragile than they thought.

"I'll walk you through how I managed it. It should work, but you might have to improvise a little bit." Luffy's face could have been carved from stone. He was acting so different from when he taught Haki that Usopp was starting to get seriously freaked out.

Luffy noticed the discomfort on Usopp's face and sighed. He knew that he was coming on a bit strong. He hated the spark of fear he saw in his nakama's eyes, and he hated even more that he had put it there. Still, he couldn't help it. Whenever _those_ memories went through his head, he was reminded of just how scary he could be. And he was determined that Usopp would never have to go through something like he had to. If he had to scare Usopp a little to stop him from ever attacking his own reflection, he would do it.

Luffy still vividly recalled the long string of events that had led to him gaining some semblance control over his 'other'.

* * *

It had started around the time that Luffy had turned twelve. Ace was always busy training, and Dadan usually sent Luffy to do errands in town to get some peace and quiet. The pubescent rubber boy didn't mind; he liked being in Fuusha. It was close to the sea, and he could see Makino and reminisce about Shanks. And the path back and forth was full of animals for him to test his powers on. Life seemed good.

The first time, it was some kid. He was the reigning bully, and he wasn't clued in to all the gossip surrounding Luffy. He was maybe two years older than the pirate-to-be, and not much taller. Still, he thought it would be worth it to make the idiot look like a bigger idiot.

It began normally enough: lurk around corner, trip as target goes by, insult. To the bully's annoyance, though, nothing worked. Luffy bounced right back up like nothing happened, and took the age-old jabs against height, clothes, and intelligence like he didn't hear them. Frustrated, the bully had snatched Hat with the intention of holding it over Luffy's head.

Luffy had never reacted well to having his treasure manhandled. This was different. He took one look at Hat in the mean kid's hands and something exploded. A rush of red-hot, writhing _fury _filled Luffy's chest as his vision went blurry like he'd opened his eyes under water. Luffy barely noticed that he was screaming. The next thing he knew that made any sense was that he was holding Hat, and there was something red on his hands.

The bully would spend the next three months recovering from eight broken ribs, a broken arm, a broken hand, and a very broken face. Luffy would spend the same amount of time doing quadruple chores for Dadan. He didn't complain even once.

Luffy felt numb, too confused and shock at his own actions to leave room for anything else. He'd broken Ace, much worse than he had the bully, and that memory would haunt him for life. But this wasn't the same. With Ace, it had been Haki. Luffy had chosen to use his power to hurt. It had been a very, very bad choice, made in anger, but it had still been a conscious decision.

Luffy hadn't wanted to beat up the bully. He didn't decide to retaliate. But somehow, his body had done it anyway. His 'pistol' punches had rained down on another person, and he couldn't even remember it happening. No matter how hard Luffy tried to recall, there was nothing. Nothing but that burning flood of rage not his own.

Eventually, Luffy brushed it off as one of those things that will never be explained, and focused on his chores.

The second time, it was a mountain lion. Luffy had decided to celebrate the end of his punishment with some survival training. For Luffy, 'survival training' involved going into the (dark, forbidding) forest, finding a large, edible animal (with teeth), chasing it down on foot (screaming his head off the whole time), and building a decent fire to cook the (dead from exhaustion) catch. It combined tracking, endurance, speed, and foraging into one simplistic exercise.

It's so genius it's scary.

The target that particular day had been a wild dog. The thing had led Luffy on a merry chase, but Luffy had won in the end. After four hours straight running through stinging branches and tripping ground, Luffy was ready to swallow the gasping canine whole. He'd just pulled back for the punch that would break the poor thing's neck and put it out of is misery, when something else beat him to it.

The lion leapt down in a perfect pounce from the tree cover. The beast took its prey with a single, savage swipe to the head. The golden-brown feline was easily three times' Luffy's small size, and it regarded its catch with a lazy, possessive glee more commonly found in its domestic cousins.

Luffy snapped. Actually, that's the wrong word. 'Snapped' implies that some form of resistance was met and overcome.

Luffy _unhinged_.

The surge of frustration that welled up in the boy automatically at realizing his prey was stolen mutated halfway through its birth into a roaring, thrashing, blazing hatred so intense that whatever tiny corner of Luffy's mind was untouched by the madness half-expected the forest to catch on fire. In the space of a heartbeat, Luffy was focused on the lion as if it were the source of all the pain and suffering in the world, and personally responsible for killing every loved one Luffy had ever known. Blood pumped through the boy's veins so hot and fast that if felt like lava.

Luffy's fist was already pulled back. He sent it forward so hard that even his flexible rubbery muscles tore at the effort. The entire left side of the lion's torso just caved in at the impact. Barely able to see, almost insane with rage, Luffy threw himself at the beast that had dared cross him.

By the time that Luffy snapped out of his berserk anger, the lion was little more than a furry paste. Luffy just stood there, staring at his handiwork. He remained there, silent and still, until the sun set. Then, sore and aching and limping, Luffy slowly made his way home.

Over the next few weeks, Luffy seemed to shrink into himself. He kept to his room, barely spoke, and ate infrequently. The last in particular worried Dadan, since the only time Luffy lost his appetite was when he was almost suicidal, as he'd been after Ace's beating and Sabo's death. The bandit leader tried on numerous occasions to ask Luffy what was wrong, but every time the boy had all but fled in panic before she finished the first sentence.

And Luffy _was_ panicked. The truth was harsh and inescapable: he had wrought pain and suffering without conscious decision. Out of nowhere, his body had moved on its own, his mind clouded by emotions so powerful and so sudden that they could scarcely be defined as 'human'.

And there was nothing he could do about it. There was no warning for these fits, no way to redirect them. Luffy spent each night worrying himself sick over what would trigger the next fit. It could be Dadan. It could be the mayor. It could be a _bird_. And the next thing Luffy would know, his hands would be red.

Luffy started sneaking out. He'd crawl out his window and go somewhere quiet. If nothing happened around him, nothing could set him off. Luffy almost considered just running off, but then people would follow. They'd try to find him. If they did… no.

Despite all his cautions, the fits continued. The third time was an alley cat. The fourth time was a random bandit. The firth time was a _puddle_. And so on. Each time, the anger came. Each time, something died. Whether it was an animal or a plant or a little piece of Luffy, each fit ended with a death.

Luffy knew it couldn't last. He couldn't balance on the knife tip forever. Eventually, something truly horrible would happen. Someone he loved would die. He knew, and was powerless to stop it. His fate was clear, harsh, and cruel. It was only a matter of time.

Day after endless day, Luffy hid, despaired, and slowly lost his mind.

At last, the day came. Luffy's grandfather, Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, came for a visit. Upon hearing from a by-now frantic Dadan about Luffy's self-imposed isolation, Garp decided to fix it with his usual direct, clueless, tactless approach.

Garp walked right up to Luffy's door, blew it to many thousand smithereens, and shouted "Let's have a talk, gaki!"

It was by the grace of that dumb luck with protects fools and pirates that Garp wasn't greeted with a broken nose. Luffy hadn't been sleeping well, and had been up since dawn, staring into space in a stupor as his frayed nerves played again and again the montage of his victims. The abrupt shock of having his room come under attack, which would have set off a fit in a fully aware Luffy, served just to snap the boy from his morbid thoughts.

Luffy looked up in dull bewilderment at the towering form of his grandfather. The fact that a living, breathing, breakable person was in his room was just as much a source of confusion to the weary boy as who that person was. People didn't come into his room. People _couldn't_ come into his room. Bad things would happen.

Garp grunted with mixed concern and consternation. The brighter, more energetic of his grandsons was limp in bed. It was unnatural, and Garp planned to fix it.

"Get out of bed, gaki! It's a beautiful day outside! We're going to go for a walk and have a little talk on your behavior."

"Gramps… what are you doing here?"

Luffy's head was getting clearer by the second, and his fear was rising with it. His grandpa was here. _His grandpa was here._ His loud, argumentative, never-failed-to-get-under-his-skin grandpa was HERE!

"I'm here to have a chat with my moody grandson, that's why I'm here!" shouted Garp, as grouchy and grating and infuriating as always.

"Get out! Get away now! Please, just get out!" Luffy half-screamed. He was fighting a losing battle with his panic. If he didn't get his emotions down, he'd have a fit. But it was that very fact that made the panic grow all the faster.

"Don't you talk that way to me, you snot-nosed brat!" Garp yelled.

"**GET OUT!**" roared Luffy as the fit seized him.

Garp's instincts took over as his body realized the danger before his mind could.

A fist that could fell a tree flew at the old man. It was caught by a hand that could handle cannonballs like baseballs. Undeterred, the psychotic that would one day be known as Not-Luffy lashed out with a kick that could fracture stone. It too was caught, and the rubber boy suddenly found himself being thrown through and out the window by a veteran Marine that could bend steel like tinfoil.

Not-Luffy bounced twice off the ground before finding his feet and digging them into the ground to slow him down. The berserker glared in the direction from whence he'd been thrown. He was now even more enraged, if that were even possible. For the first time, the untamable alter ego of the Boy with Haki accessed that terrible power. Roaring like a wild beast, he charged forward, the air shimmering around him like a desert at midday. His opponent, unsmiling and unafraid, let loose his own war cry as he rushed to meet his half-mad grandson, ignoring the wall in his way like it wasn't there.

The two titans met and clashed. The younger launched a relentless assault, throwing punches and kicks and head-butts like coins at an arcade. Each blow was backed by lean muscle, a Devil's power, and a mad King's wrath. The older expertly dodged them all with the ease and grace of decades' of practice. At each opening in the sloppy onslaught, the elder threw his own punches, made by arms the size of tree trunks sculpted by superhuman conditioning. The younger seemed not to feel them, never pausing in his flurry of attacks, aimed at nothing more than the elder's pain.

Dadan watched in horror from Luffy's room as the boy she'd come to love like a son and the only man she had ever feared fought each other. She couldn't break it up; to step into that storm was suicide. All she could do was watch through the gaping holes in her house. She reminded herself to tell Garp he owed her a new wall and door, and almost went in hysterics at the ridiculously out-of-place thought.

The fight was something elemental, timeless. The primal struggle between these two beings of power was of an order of magnitude the likes of which had rarely, if ever, been seen in East Blue. As such, it could not be measured in minutes or hours, or feet and yards. These things were wisps of smoke to the fire and violence that raged on between Not-Luffy and Vice Admiral Garp. The former took as many hits as he threw, but went on regardless of injury. The latter kept up a defense of speed and agility at odds with his hulking frame, but it wasn't perfect. Some hits landed, and they were all of them enough to end a lesser fight. The old soldier ignored the pain as best he could and continued to counter with pinpoint, punishing blows that did much less damaged than they should have against the young warrior's elastic flesh. It became a race to see which would give out first: Luffy's pain tolerance or Garp's stamina.

The unstoppable force had met the immovable object. Now there was nothing to do but await the outcome.

At last, it ended. Not even Not-Luffy could defy his limits forever. The wild blows came slower, even sloppier than before as the day wore on. Just as the sun kissed the horizon, the young powerhouse completely overextended. Garp, as always, seized the opening, landing a truly punishing blow to the boy's head, driving him into the ground. For the first time in hours, the boy was still.

Garp panted, his body giving him a stern talking to. He ached in places he didn't know had places. He really was getting too old for this. Wearily, the old man found a convenient tree and collapsed against it.

The two were in a clearing that hadn't existed that morning. Trees littered the ground like sticks, forming a trail of destruction even a blind man could follow back to Dadan's house. Grandfather and grandson were soaked in sweat, their clothes worn down to bloody rags. Everywhere was silence. Not even an insect stirred, every creature in the area frozen in awe and fear.

When Garp got his breath back, he became aware of a soft choking sound. The old man closed his eyes, refusing to see his grandson cry.

"Why?' the boy sobbed, his face pushed into the ground. "Why does this happen? Why do I hurt people? Why?"

Garp sighed. This was the part where he was supposed to say something wise and profound and grandfatherly. He sucked at these things.

"I have no idea, gaki. I have no idea why you went berserk. But you've gotta fix it."

"I can't!" Luffy wailed, sounding truly hopeless. There was no pride or faith in this bright young man. His was the voice of despair.

"I can't stop it! I don't even know when it'll happen! There's nothing I can do!"

Garp grabbed the nearest rock and lobbed it at Luffy's head where it bounced off quite painfully. Luffy jerked his head up to stare at his grandfather, whom didn't seem the least affected by his grandson's grief.

"Enough with that kind of thinking," Garp ordered. "Right now, you're running away from the problem. You don't fix things by running away. You fix them by facing the problem like a man! Don't just sit there waiting for another one of these outbursts to happen! Figure out how they work and learn some control!"

Luffy was stunned. The fits had seemed like the end of life as he knew it. Garp was making them sound like some annoying puzzle to be solved. It was ridiculous. It was impossible! It was… strangely comforting.

People can often solve their problems on their own. They just need someone to remind them of that from time to time. A single kind word can make a world of difference.

Garp slowly stood up, his every move accompanied by a symphony of snaps, crackles, and pops. "Well, this was fun, but I think it's time to call it a day. Come on; we need to go back to Dadan and apologize for breaking her house."

Shakily, Luffy got up. He walked with his grandfather back home, both of them acting like a monumental duel to the death hadn't just happened.

The next day, Luffy purposely went into a fit. When he recovered, he did it again. And again. Each time, he learned more on how they worked.

Luffy started to hear the voice in his head. Rather than hide from the truth and pretend it wasn't real, Luffy talked back. They debated. They argued. They fought for control of the body they shared. And they learned to work together.

Luffy acknowledged how useful Not-Luffy could be. It was like playing with fire, but Luffy would rather burn than die against an opponent too strong for him alone. He built walls to keep Not-Luffy in control. He learned to stay aware when Not-Luffy broke free. He learned how to be himself.

It took years, but Luffy mastered his divided soul. And it was time for Usopp to do the same.

* * *

Sanji had to admit that life as a pirate had its perks.

There was no such thing as a typical day at sea. Almost every hour, it seemed, Sanji was faced with something interesting. Whether it was an interesting cloud formation or attempted nakama-cide, the fact was the there was never a dull moment on the Going Merry. Of course, working at the Baratie wasn't exactly like watching paint dry, but Sanji could still say that he'd never been less bored since he'd become a Straw-Hat.

Then, of course, was the simple joy of doing his job and being appreciated for it. It was one thing to be number two at a world-famous restaurant; it was quite another to be cook for a bustling family that never tired of complementing the chef. Though Sanji would rather give up smoking than admit it, he got an almost motherly glee out of making snacks for the crew and hearing them tell him how delicious they were. Sanji had honestly questioned his masculinity the first time he felt a glow when Usopp praised his onigiri, until he'd consoled himself that women liked men in touch with their feminine side.

Ah, yes, _women_. That was certainly an argument in piracy's favor. Each one of the precious creatures was a gem, of course, but only a certain kind of lady attended the Baratie, and not many. Since traveling to different islands became his daily life, he'd been exposed to more variety than he'd dared to dream.

Naturally, there were some flaws with this lifestyle. Nothing was perfect. Sanji was forced to cohabitate with his arch-nemesis; the blunt, uncouth _Marimo_. The guy was lazy, arrogant, dismissive, messy, and to top it all off, a misogynist. Sanji was positive he would never meet another man more at odds with his own personality. But they were nakama, so Sanji was forced to deal with him.

Then there was the constant threat of starvation in the form of his captain's appetite. Waking up to discover that over half of the oh-so-carefully hidden, methodically calculated rations had vanished in the night was becoming distressingly common. Sanji was more than capable of stretching scraps into a five-course meal, but he wasn't a magician. At the rate that Luffy was learning how to avoid the ever-growing number of traps Sanji laid around the pantry, even accounting for fishing and hunting gains, the whole crew would starve before they made it two weeks in the Grand Line. It was a constant war with logistics to keep the crew well-fed, and Sanji was tiring of the siege.

The true trial though, the simple greatest agony of being the Straw-Hat chef was the brand-new "can't look, don't even think of touching" rule regarding the stunning, glorious, bewitching Nami-swan.

Sanji pictured what would happen if he ever again gushed, waited on, or attempted to embrace the declared partner of the single most powerful person he had ever known. He imagined it wouldn't be good for his health.

But how could he _not_ adore Nami? She was a beautiful lady! And if there was one thing Sanji believed, it was that ladies were to be treasured. They were unique gems, every one, and it was the duty of every decent man to insure that they should be preserved. NO lady should ever have to lift a finger or come to harm, for they were the shining light in this dark, weary world of men, and deserved every attention, which Sanji was ever eager to provide.

But no more could Sanji attend to Nami-swan. She was now in the care of Luffy, and to try and care for a claimed beauty was an open invitation for a fight. And Sanji had no doubt who would win in a battle between him and Luffy. Alas, he must beat the torment of holding his adoration inside, never again to be heard or seen by she who so obviously was entitled to it.

Thus the thoughts of Sanji preparing breakfast.

* * *

In no time at all, the galley dissolved into chaos as the crew ate through food at a pace that would boggle lesser minds. Such was the power of Luffy's adamantium-plated skull that attempts to teach him table manners had led to the destruction of everyone else's. Taking the time to try and get him to use a fork and knife at the same time just meant he had more opportunity to steal from your plate. So, every Straw-Hat ate each meal like starving dogs, in order to get as much as they could before all the food inevitably was sucked into the black hole Luffy called a stomach.

Once decorum was reestablished, Nami pulled out a map and laid it out on the table.

"All right boys, listen up. We're drawing near the entrance of the Grand Line, and it seems we'll be seeing something strange."

"This is about Reverse Mountain, isn't it?" Gin asked, glaring at the map with a scowl on his face.

Nami seemed surprised, then embarrassed. "I forgot you'd already made this trip once, Gin."

"What, what, whatcha guys talking about?" asked Luffy, as jittery as a five-year-old on espresso at the mere mention of the Grand Line.

At the tiller, Usopp started to struggle with something. The crew didn't notice.

"The first taste of the Grand Line's wonders lies at its gate," said Leum. "With the Calm Belt as a wall, the only safe way in is Reverse Mountain, the place where rivers flow upward."

"Impossible," Zoro scoffed. "Water goes down, not up."

Nami refuted him with a description of the unique currents that would theoretically allow this impossibility. She also mentioned just how easy it could be to die there.

"So it's a Mystery mountain," Luffy stated, clearly having not heard a word.

"Well, this explains something old man Zeff said," Sanji mused.

"He told you about Reverse Mountain?" Nami asked, an almost schoolgirl curiosity in her eyes.

Sanji visibly twitched, but restrained himself otherwise. "No. He just said that most people who try to enter the Grand Line die before they get there."

"Um, guys?" Usopp was now straining against the tiller, which wasn't moving an inch. Again, he was ignored.

"Wait a minute," Zoro said, turning to Gin. "If that's true, then how did each one of Krieg's ships get through? You'd think with fifty ships at once at least one would miss and smash the cliff."

Gin gave a wry chuckle. "There's a reason the crew was starving after only a week. The Don had every ship throw all the food overboard. He figured if the ships were lighter, they'd have an easier time maneuvering the currents. It worked, but we were half-dead even before Mihawk found us."

Leum suddenly fell out of his chair, giving a cry. His face was scrunched with pain, his hands clamped over his ears. Everyone but Usopp crowded around him.

"Leum! What's wrong?" Luffy asked, his big eyes concerned.

One red eye opened, hazy and uncertain. "It's nothing. I've just… never heard so many ghosts in one place."

As if that weren't dramatic enough, Sogeking appeared.

"An it please thee, friends, help me with this blasted tiller! Even with every drop of my great strength, it refused to turn! I fear a scuppering might be upon us!"

Nami's pupils shrunk to pinpoints. "Holy bullion! We were closer than I thought. We're already caught in the current!"

Almost as one, the crew burst out of the galley to see what lay ahead.

What they saw defied reason.

The horizon had been replaced with a colossal expanse of rock. From left to right to straight up, the sky had become a burnt red stone. Even the clouds could not top this mass. This was the only continent in the world, the Red Line.

But that wasn't all.

A single line of blue ran up the rock to an immeasurable height. A mighty river, it seemed tiny, surrounded by all that earth. And, unbelievably, the water was flowing _up_. Hundreds of gallons a second were being whisked skyward at dizzying speeds, spitting in the face of gravity.

It was as awe-inspiring as it was terrifying.

"Sugoi!" Luffy screamed, half-mad with delight at the adventure in the air.

"So that's the Red Line," Sanji muttered, his lone eye gazing at the sheer wall of rock appraisingly.

"I can't believe it," Zoro gaped, leaning over the rail to get a better look. "The water really is running uphill."

"Here it goes again." Gin faced the impossible sight with weary determination.

Nami was the first to recover her wits. "Zoro, Sanji! Go help Usopp with the tiller! We'll have to aim for the entrance very quickly."

"Don't bother," Leum told the men just ordered. He seemed to have recovered from the initial shock of coming in range of the mountain, but he was clutching his amulet to his chest in a characteristic show of anxiety. His eyes were as piercing as ever, though. "There's nothing we can do at this point. The current's so strong that the tiller will break before the rudder will turn. We are in the hands of the fates now."

Nami bit her lip in frustration, but nodded and turned away. Leum was right; there was nothing to do but wait and see what happened.

"Where _is_ the entrance, anyway?" Luffy asked. He was peering at the cliff in confusion, utterly unfazed by the ship's inability to change course.

"Just there," Gin pointed. "Behind the mist."

Indeed, it was. Looking ludicrously small in the grand mass of the Red Line, a series of gates framed where the mighty river began its paradoxical climb. In no time, the ship was rushing at the gape with frightening speed. Unfortunately, the Merry's course for the gap was a bit off.

"Oh, no. We're going to run into the gate. Zoro, Sanji, Luffy, somebody do something!" Usopp panicked. The 'lessons' with Luffy had not gotten far. The only progress so far was that Usopp could snap back to himself without a sense of disorientation.

"I'm on it!" Luffy yelled, running for the edge of the deck. At precisely the right moment, the Straw Hat boy leapt, putting his body between the fragile wood of his ship and the unforgiving stone of the gate.

"Gomu Gomu no Fuusen (Rubber Balloon)!" he yelled, sucking air into his rubber lungs until he resembled an overinflated beach ball. With an impact that would have ground anyone else into a paste, Luffy's body deflected the Merry into a proper course. Now there was just the small issue of Luffy hanging over open water that would swallow him whole without blinking.

It's times like these that make one appreciate having superpowers.

"Nami!" Luffy shouted, already pulling back his arm to throw.

"Here!" she replied, already in position gripping the mast. Precognition was just so dang useful.

Falling fast, Luffy launched his hand at Nami, who caught it perfectly. From there, Luffy's body followed the recoil of his anchored hand, zooming through the air towards his navigator/girlfriend.

The two collided and fell to the deck, Luffy instinctively landing first to absorb their weight and keep her safe. They both started laughing, the high of adrenaline as rushing as the water beneath them. Naturally, they kissed.

Sanji gave a full-body spasm as though he'd been electrocuted. Still, he kept his silence. Usopp, still a bit annoyed with Nami, muttered "That violates Article II, Section 6, paragraph 1 concerning activities on deck."

"Really? Wouldn't it fall under the Life/Death Event Allowances Clause?" questioned Leum, back to his nonchalant self.

Usopp opened his mouth to reply, then closed it, a strange puzzled look on his face.

Zoro shook his head. "Beaten at your own game. Shame on you, Usopp."

In short order, everyone returned to the situation at hand. Said situation being a 60 degree ascent up a mountain in a sailing vessel towards the place where all their dreams would come true.

"This is incredible!" shouted Usopp, looking in disbelief at his surroundings. "We're so high up!"

"I must admit, this is something," Leum drawled, gazing unafraid at the could racing toward them.

"God, this is just as nerve-wracking the second time," Gin grumbled, clutching the rail so hard his knuckles were white.

"You got a thing about heights?" Zoro asked, at ease by his side.

"Heights? No. Speed? No. Natural laws being violated before my eyes? No. All three at once? Yes."

Brace yourselves! We're coming up on the cloud bank!" Nami shouted.

Almost before the words left her mouth, the Going Merry plunged into the cold, wet blanket of white. Sight, sound, and smell were muted, leaving only the dizzying sensation of the ship's speed.

A few endless, stretching seconds passed, and then they were thorugh.

The sight before them was even more amazing than the entrance to the mountain.

Four rivers collided at the summit of the mountain, throwing up a massive cloud of spray. Here, above the clouds, the air was so cold that the water froze into delicate ice instantly, each shard shattering as it fell locked in gravity's embrace. The sun was directly overhead, the beams shockingly intense even though it was so cold.

The effect was that of a living rainbow, a glittering gateway into another world.

"It's beautiful!" Luffy shouted, his eyes wide as saucers.

"A pleasant distraction to a disturbing fact," Leum mused. "You realize that we're at the end of the road, yes?"

Seconds later, the Going Merry was flung into the air. She and her entire crew were suspended at the roof of the world, with a very, _very_ long way to the ground. Then, with elegant grace, she began to fall.

Usopp screamed. The rest of the crew weren't far behind him.

By some miracle, the Merry landed in the fifth river, the one running from the summit in a straight line down into the most dangerous sea in the world. The Straw-Hats had passed nature's test; they had entered the Grand Line.

"We made it!" shouted Nami. The whole crew cheered with her.

As joy at their survival faded, each crew member quieted down and faced the hazy stretch of blue they were plunging towards.

'A map of the world.'

'All Blue. It's somewhere out there.'

'Round two. Edge of the world, here I come.'

'Mihawk. I know you're out there. When we meet again, I will not lose.'

'S-So this is it. The start of the Adventure of Warrior Usopp! (And Sogeking)'

'The World Government rules from this ocean. To honor the past and save the future, they must fall. I must grow strong.'

'The greatest sea on the planet. The sea that the Pirate King ruled! And at the end, the treasure he left behind… One Piece.'

"YOSH! TO THE GRAND LINE!" Straw Hat Luffy roared.

"TO THE GRAND LINE!" echoed his nakama.

Their story had begun.

Time for the first plot twist.

* * *

**Yes, yes I did leave all of you hanging for a full year, after saying that I had finally found my true drive and passion for writing, only to deliver a shorter-than-average chapter with all the plot development of two anime episodes. I cite senior year, college craziness, terminal laziness, and the death of my brother's best friend's father. I say no more.**

**P.S. I'd much rather you flamed me rather than quietly taking me off your alert list. Reviews are like crack. You all should know this.**


	11. Announcement

**I know this isn't the update you were expecting, but I owe you all SOME explanation.**

**Here's how my past 14 months have gone:**

**-Found out my little sister is a cutter and has attempted suicide three times**

**-Went off to college where unprecedented stress and lack of a support system led to my own long-hidden depression escalating to TWO suicide scares.**

**-Got fired from my first ever job after three days, severely affecting my confidence in life.**

**-Found out a close friend had cancer only when she went into a coma and was touch-and-go.**

**Suffice to say my year sucked.**

**Since I doubted any of you would have appreciated any of the emoness that would have been spawned by my brain, I have kept silent.**

**However, now I'm on antidepressants and seeing a therapist, so once I have all my shit together, I'll announce my return to the land of the creative with a, wait for it, TRIPLE UPDATE!**

**Sorry for being a hot mess with long, drawn-out periods of block. Hope you can forgive me.**

**P.S. To all those who keep saying I got Haki wrong… I started before the Impel Down Arc was even finished by the manga. If it's that much of an issue, I'll go back and edit the first 7 chapters when I start writing again.**


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